


Pirates of the Caribbean: Vault of the Pirate Lords

by redbarricade



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Ahhhhhhhh, F/F, F/M, I Was Drunk When I Wrote This, Inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean, Its Corona Time, M/M, My First Work in This Fandom, Oma Kokichi Being Oma Kokichi, Pirates of the Caribbean References, i had a fever dream, tenko is best girl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:27:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 53,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23235436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redbarricade/pseuds/redbarricade
Summary: Shuichi is fascinated by pirates. Growing up on Port Morsey meant lots of sailors with lots of stories to be heard. Life doesn't seem to want Shuichi to find the horizon and feel the wind on his face, as he is the nephew of the Governor of Port Morsey and is destined to rule the port one day. When pirates attack after Commodore Akamatsu's ceremony, Shuichi and his bodyguard/aid Maki are whisked away on an adventure to find the Vault of the Pirate Lords with the crew of The Dice.(I am terrible at summaries, I apologize.)
Relationships: Chabashira Tenko/Yumeno Himiko, Harukawa Maki/Momota Kaito, Iruma Miu/K1-B0, Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 73
Kudos: 259





	1. Chapter 1

Port Morsey was a small island owned by the crown in the Caribbean. A prosperous island, the western side was fertile land for harvesting, and the eastern side held the port, which was a center of trade for the British in the area. The island was governed by Governor Saihara, a kind but aging old man who oversaw the island from his house at the head of the town. In the house lived the governor and his nephew, Shuichi. Shuichi was a bright young man, a little shy, and longed for adventure away from the island. Shuichi also had a fascination with pirates. He had heard stories from travelers who had ventured through the ports of their run-ins with pirates but had yet to see if the tales rang true. 

The light shone in through the window of Shuichi’s room, the light falling on his face as he lay in his four-poster bed. He grumbled slightly, rolling to the other side of his bed to try to get a few more moments of sleep before his day had to unfortunately begin. 

“Shuichi, it is time to get up now,” Maki, his personal assistant and bodyguard, had silently entered the room to get him moving. Shuichi turned over, draping an arm over his eyes and giving Maki a small grunt in greeting. Maki had been serving the Saihara family since Shuichi had been brought over to the island when they were both seven. She was a slender girl with brown hair, whose looks were very deceiving. Even after ten years, Shuichi still insisted on not calling Maki his servant. 

“What’s on the agenda today, Maki?” Shuichi was now sitting up in bed, his raven hair messy and sticking every which way, grey eyes red from rubbing them a little too much. 

“Unfortunately, your uncle has an event he wanted you to attend which means our sword training has been canceled,” Maki walked over to the boy’s bedside while the other staff of the house began entering his room to begin their daily chores. One servant entered the room carrying a box and placing it next to the bed. 

“Event? What event? And what is in the box?” Shuichi reached for the box on the bed, it’s delicate velvet box feeling soft against his calloused hands. 

“It is Captain Akamatsu’s ceremony. She’s becoming a commodore today,” Maki explained as she took the box delicately from Shuichi’s hands. “And this is a gift from your Uncle. A new outfit to wear,” She opened the box, revealing a long navy coat and with delicate golden embroidery, a white shirt, and black breeches, all soft to the touch, and all VERY expensive. 

“Wow… these are… lovely,” Shuichi grimaced, taking the articles from Maki and placing them on his bed. 

“I know you would rather have you Uncle buy you books, but it is important you look your best in front of the nobles and officers,” Maki grabbed Shuichi’s hands and pulled him out of bed. Shuichi was still in his night garments, and he wanted to stay that way, doing his best to fight Maki’s pull. 

“Shuichi, come on, don’t make this more difficult than it already is,” Maki tugged a little harder, and Shuichi stumbled out of bed. That gave the other servants of the house a chance to fret about Shuichi, pulling him over to the screens to put the new articles of clothing on him. 

“Will you be accompanying me to the ceremony?” Shuichi wheezed as the very tight shirt was pulled over his head. He knew his Uncle meant well, it was just he hated dressing up in the uncomfortable outfits people of his status were expected to wear. 

“I will not be directly accompanying you. I must make sure all the guards are at their positions,” Maki was making his bed and her other morning duties. “I don’t see anything going wrong in the ceremony, but you never know,” 

Shuichi did his best to nod, but it was hard to move in the stiff outfit, even if it did bring out his grey eyes very nicely. “I heard some sailors mention pirates near the area,” He wheezed as one of the servants pulled tightly on the sash on his waist. Another servant brought over a bowl of porridge, which Shuichi golfed down after they had finished with his sash. 

Maki stopped her work, lifting her head slightly and giving Shuichi the disapproving glare he knew all too well. Shuichi immediately regretted opening his mouth. 

“You went down to the docks again? Was this when Rantaro was watching you?” Shuichi grimaced, knowing that the green-haired guard was going to get an earful later and it was totally his fault. 

“Maki, I’m sorry, but you know-”

“Shuichi, I don’t want to hear it. The docks are dangerous. Pirates are dangerous,” Maki began her spiel that Shuichi knew all too well. It happened every time he snuck away to listen to the stories from the sailors. “I don’t care if you find them fascinating, want to get into their head and see the way they think, pirates are pirates. They pillage, plunder, and are bad news,” 

“But they’re free!” Shuichi walked out from behind the changing screens stepping towards Maki and grabbing her hands. “They get to explore the high seas, see new places, meet new people. They aren’t given tight outfits, told when to bow, who to court, They also-”

“Rape, pillage, and plunder,” Maki pulled her hands away from Shuichi, standing up and straightening her red long coat. “Please forget these delusions, for your own safety. I will see you at the ceremony,” She exited the room swiftly, her sword lightly tapping the door frame as she exited the room. The other servants soon followed after, leaving the young man to his thoughts. Shuichi watched her go, a mix of anger and sadness filling his chest. 

She reached over to his nightstand, grabbing his journal and walking to his desk. He saw down, opening the leatherbound journal. The pages were filled with notes and stories about pirates from the sailors in the docks, as well as books and papers he had acquired from his uncle’s and the town’s library. He grabbed some papers on his desk, flicking through the images of wanted pirates. 

Wanted: The French Phantoms

These pirates were an interesting duo. Shuichi had deduced that the French Phantom was a two women operation, one being Kirumi Tojo, who had unfortunately died at the hands of another pirate crew, and the other being a lady named Cosette Blanche who had seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. They were great pirates in their prime, a robin hood duo who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Their last steal was the one who got Kirumi murdered, and it was when they stole the family jewels from the Togami Trading Company and gave it to the peasants affected by the company's tariffs. Those jewels got Kirumi killed. 

Wanted: Nagito Komaeda and Hajime Hinata

These were two of his favorites. They were a pirate couple, sailing the high seas and pillaging every town they came across. Not many survived their raids, as the two only ever left two people surviving their wake. Some sailors say it's because the pirates are married, and couldn’t imagine the thought of leaving a survivor alone with no one to love. They had a crew, a crew of surprisingly some of the survivors of their raids. He knew the names of a few, such as a former nun Chiaki Nanami, a farmer named Gundham Tanaka, Mikan Tsumiki who once was a midwife, and the ex-princess Sonia Nevermind. An interesting crew indeed. 

Wanted: The Crew of the Monokuma

Tsumugi Shirogane, Junko Enoshima, Celestia Ludenburg, Mukuro Iskusaba, Korekiyo Shinguji, Toko Fukawa, and Sayaka Maizano. Probably the most ruthless pirate crew on the Caribbean. If any crew fit Maki’s description of what pirates are, it was this crew. This crew was rumored to be the one to kill Kirumi Tojo and drive Cosette Blanche into hiding. People said they were so terrifying, even Davey Jones feared to take them to his depths. If anyone saw their black and white sails, with a red dash on the black fabrics side, they should hope that the lord was forgiving for their sins. 

Shuichi flipped to the page in his journal, to probably his favorite pirate crew in his journal. 

Wanted: The Crew of the Dice

This ship, The Dice, was a mystery to all sailors on the seas. Unlike most pirates, the crew of this ship never killed, but no one ever saw the faces of their attackers. They only ever saw the Dice leaving in the distance with the checkered white and black flag waving in the air. It was baffling how they were able to get away with their crimes. This crew was rumored to be a group of pirates kicked off other crews or the royal navy who still wanted to taste the salt of the sea in their mouth and the feel of gold in their pockets. If he could, they would be the very first pirate crew Shuichi would track down and question. He needed to know more.

Shuichi closed the journal and held it close to his chest, staring out his window longingly at the sea. Even if it was just for a day, hell, even just for a minute, he wanted to experience life on the high seas, just like a pirate. 

“Nephew!” the loud voice of his Uncle snapped the young man out of his daydreaming, bringing him back to his unfortunate reality. Shuichi placed his journal down, standing up at his desk and turning to his Uncle. The governor was a tall, greying man with kind grey eyes just like Shuichi’s. He was dressed in the latest fashion for a man of his status, a white powdered wig, black long coat, and white breeches. 

“Hello Uncle,” Shuichi greeted, meeting his uncle across the floor. “I thank you for the outfit. It is lovely,” Shuichi was a terrible liar, and his Uncle knew that. It seemed, however, that the excitement of the day, that being Captain Akamatsu’s ceremony, seemed to cloud his judgment. 

“It is an important day, so we must look our very best,” His Uncle placed his hands on Shuichi’s shoulders, his face getting suddenly serious. “I hope to be celebrating more than one ceremony today,” Shuichi glanced around the room, his hands getting clammy. He knew where this was going. Kaede had been courting Shuichi for months now, and it was approaching the time frame that a proposal would occur. 

“Uncle, I…”

“Captain Akamatsu is a lovely, strong young lady, is she not?” His Uncle mused, removing his hands from Shuichi’s shoulders and placing them behind his back. 

“Yes, she is,” 

“She is the perfect mate, is she not?” 

Shuichi stared at his feet. Wow, the buckles were surely shiny. “I guess she is…”

“Excellent,” The governor clapped his hands together, looking over at his nephew. “Captain Akamatsu and your future union will surely be joyous news for the town. It may even help put your obsession with all this pirate nonsense away,” 

“Uncle, it’s not that it’s an obsession, it’s-”

“I wanted to give you something else,” His Uncle sure was good at changing topics. That was probably why he was such a good governor. Shuichi looked as his Uncle reached into his pocket and pulled out a small golden ring with a bright purple jade on top. It was a beautiful ring. Shuichi took it and placed it on his finger. 

“This was your father’s ring. I felt with the importance of today, it would be proper to finally give it to you,” Shuichi’s parents had died when he was very young. He didn’t remember them very well, and they certainly weren’t as well off as his Uncle. His Uncle had graciously accepted the responsibility of raising Shuichi, as his wife had died before they had produced an heir. 

“Uncle, thank you,” Shuichi smiled sadly, inspecting the ring on his finger. He held it up to the light, the jewel shimmering and sparkling. 

“It is my pleasure,” his Uncle patted him on the shoulder. “How about we head to that ceremony? Maki let me know that everything was prepared,” Shuichi grabbed his journal, stuffing it in his inner pocket and following his Uncle out of the room. They traveled down the large staircase and out the main front doors into the white carriage that awaited to take them to the chapel. Maki was waiting inside, and the governor and nephew filed in to head to the ceremony. 

Shuichi stared out the window as they traveled through the town, the sea disappearing as they bounced down the stone path. Shuichi sighed, staring down at his hands placed in his lap. He didn't choose this life. He didn't want these responsibilities. He wanted to be free, and choose his own path. He wanted that more than anything.


	2. Chapter 2

The ceremony itself went off without a hitch, and Captain Akamatsu was now Commodore Akamatsu. However, Shuichi was finding that the cold church, along with the uncomfortable outfit he was wearing, and Minister Yonaga were not a good mix. Kaede looked nice in her outfit, or maybe it was because she was usually wearing her uniform. She was wearing a pale pink dress with golden ruffles and embroidery on the dress that looked nice on her. Her hair was down, golden locks curled and very different from when it was usually hidden under a hat. 

Shuichi was trying to escape the crowd of people, looking around for Maki or maybe Rantaro to distract him. He weaved through the lords and ladies, giving polite excuses and avoiding conversations. The universe seemed to have other ideas, because just as he saw Maki in the back of the room, Kaede popped in front of him grinning wildly. 

“Mister Saihara! You are looking very handsome today!” she commented, giving a curtsey. Her eyes shined brightly under the candlelight, her smile wider than it had been before. 

“Ah, thank you, Commodore. You are looking lovely as well,” He gave a bow in return. “Congratulations on your promotion,” The woman smiled in return. Shuichi actually very much enjoyed the Kaede's company. He considered her a good friend, as they had grown up together. However, that was the extent of his feelings. He knew that she liked him, as she had expressed this multiple times. Shuichi was too polite to ever tell her he didn’t feel the same, so he just smiled every time. 

“Thank you. I am honored you took your time to come to the ceremony today,” Kaede then gently reached out for Shuichi’s hand. He hesitantly took it and followed her outside onto the deck of the chapel. Shuichi looked out onto the small glimpse of the sea that was visible, seeing the sun setting against the ocean, it’s rays bouncing off the water and creating a beautiful reflection. How he longed to see that reflection up close, from a ship. 

“It is a beautiful sunset,” Kaede murmured from his side, still clutching his hand. Shuichi nodded in agreement, still watching the sun and waves crashing against the port. 

“Shuichi,” the boy turned, looking reluctantly away from the sunset and towards the girl. “I think you know why I brought you out here,”

Shuichi felt his stomach drop. He knew exactly why she had brought him out here. He was hoping to avoid this scenario, hence why he was so desperately trying to find Maki or Rantaro. He was suddenly aware of his much this outfit constricted his breathing, as his breath began to pick up. 

“Shuichi, we are both important figures in our society,” Kaede began, taking his other hand in hers. “I believe in these troubling times, with pirates threatening all the islands, our citizens need people to look up to. People to rally behind. I think that what they need right now is us,”

“U-Us?” Shuichi wheezed. It was getting significantly harder to breathe. His head was throbbing. 

“I believe our union is exactly what the people need right now,” And suddenly, the girl was on one knee, holding out a ring. “Shuichi Saihara, will you marry me?” 

Shuichi felt his vision spinning. He glanced from Kaede to the guests who were watching from the doorway expectantly to the sea. This was all too much. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want to get married, not yet. He wanted to explore, not be tied down by a wife or political obligations. 

“I can’t breathe,” Shuichi choked out, slowly backing away from Kaede, who was looking up at him expectantly. 

“I know, it’s all very exciting,” She replied, still smiling. She didn’t understand what was happening. She didn’t get it. She had gotten achieved her dream. Shuichi stumbled backward, before turning around and breaking into a sprint away from Kaede, his feet pounding on the marble of the deck. His vision was blurred by tears he didn’t know were forming, and his chest was constricting. Shuichi ran down the chapel steps and to the nearby stables, slamming the door closed and crumpling to the ground. 

Shuichi ripped off his top layers, giving his chest freedom to finally breathe. He took a deep breath, heaving in and out trying to collect himself. He couldn’t go back now. He couldn’t face his Uncle, who was so excited about the union. He couldn’t face Kaede, who he had just left kneeling on the marble of the chapel. He couldn’t-

“Shuichi?” Maki’s voice floated through the stable door. Of course, she had followed him. He scrambled up, the hay of the ground flying as he did. Shuichi opened the door, and Maki quietly entered, holding some clothing in her arms. 

“M-Maki,” Shuichi sniffed. They embraced, Maki gently rubbing circles on his bare back. “I just can’t,”

“I know. I know,” Maki's voice was soothing, unlike her usual tone. It was nice. “I tried to tell the governor that this was too much for you right now. He didn’t listen,” She let go, extending the articles of clothing to Shuichi. It was a white, loose-fitting blouse and a navy vest with golden trim he usually wore. Shuichi smiled, pulling the loose shirt over his head and clipping the vest on after. Just putting on the simple articles of clothing made him feel much better. 

“You also dropped this while running away,” Maki produced his journal in her hands, which Shuichi immediately held on to close, like a safety blanket. 

“Maki, I don’t know how I’m going to face everyone after this. I humiliated myself in front of the entire noble circle,” 

Maki sighed, folding her arms over her chest and looking at her friend. “You are just going to have to. You are the nephew of the governor, you’re going to see them at all gatherings and ceremonies. Just hold your chin up high, and don’t let their judgment affect you,” 

He knew she was right, he just didn’t want her to be. Shuichi fiddled with the ring on his finger, taking a deep breath. “I know. You’re right. As much as I wish you-”

The barn and ground shook as a loud boom rattled through Shuichi and Maki’s bones, followed by more explosions and rattles. 

“Was there canon testing being done today?” Shuichi asked, looking up at Maki in worry. Maki shook her head, eyes wide. The two pushed the door open, looking around the street. The town had erupted into flames and chaos, people running about frantically and screaming. Children were crying as debris went flying through the air. 

“You!” Maki grabbed a man’s arm, stopping him from his path. “What’s going on?” 

“Pirates ma’am! I seen ‘em!” The man's voice was shaky, he kept glancing over his shoulder like they were right behind them. 

“Pirates? What colors were they flying?” Shuichi asked, stepping forward from behind Maki. 

“I was in the docks when smoke came in from the ocean. It was hazy,” the man looked behind him once more as the explosions grew louder and closer. “I looked up, and in the distance I see a black and white checkered flag, sticking out above the haze,” 

Shuichi looked over at Maki, a mix of excitement but worry on his face. “It’s The Dice,” Shuichi took off towards the docks, Maki calling after him to stop and turn around. Shuichi kept running, grabbing a random sword someone must have dropped on the way for protection. This was his chance, a chance to see the elusive crew of The Dice. 

“Shuichi! Stop!” Maki was sprinting after him, her sword drawn as the explosions grew nearer and nearer, Shuichi didn’t listen, as he ran to the edge of the town near the docks where the stone met the wood. He stopped, looking around at the destruction around him. 

Buildings had holes blown out by cannon fire all around him. People were running on the street, away from the docks, grabbing all their valuables and trying to getaway. This was The Dice’s strategy on full display. Create chaos, then attack. 

“See?” Maki had caught up to him, standing next to the boy. “This is what pirates do. They destroy everything in their wake. We have to go, we don’t know where they could be, and we need to get you to safety,” 

“I don’t think pretty boy’s going anywhere,” a sultry voice spoke from behind the two. They turned around and were greeted with a blonde girl, sharp blue eyes, and a wicked grin. She was shorter than Maki, but bustier. She was wearing a pink hat and a tight black corset that complimented her assets. A short dress was under the corset, with striped leggings underneath that disappeared into laced boots. She was wielding a sword, pointing it right at Shuichi and Maki. 

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Maki stepped in front of Shuichi, her sword going up to meet the others. 

“I wouldn’t try that if I were you, missy,” a new voice had entered the scene. Coming from behind Miu was a tall man with spiky purple hair and a goatee. He had bright lilac eyes that seemed to hold so much excitement. He was wearing a long purple coat with star embroidered along the sleeves, and a ruffled black blouse. He had on black breeches going into black boots and a silver sword with a purple hilt. 

“Two versus one hardly seems fair,” Maki commented, rolling her shoulders back. “But I’ve had worse odds,” She lunged at the two pirates, masterfully blocking any attacks they threw at her. Shuichi tightened the grip on his sword, looking for a chance to jump in and help Maki. Something caught his eye, and like a flash, a third person attempted to join the fight, but Shuichi blocked the swing. He looked down at the attacker, seeing a short man wearing a striped beanie with a cigarette in his mouth. His outfit was striped black and grey, with black breeches tied with a big belt and buckled shoes. 

“Buddy, you made the wrong choice,” the man’s voice was deceivingly deep, but it was smooth like butter. He had large black eyes that seemed to bore into Shuichi’s soul. The man stepped backward, the two circling each other with their swords. 

“Hardly seems fair to cheap shot someone,” Shuichi retorted, swinging his sword back towards the tiny man. The man laughed, blocking the swing like it was nothing.

“Nothing’s fair in this life, kid,” The man swung his sword, almost hitting Shuichi, but the taller man stopped it. The two continued their sparring, the tiny man very nimble and fast on his feet, darting around and taking shots that Shuichi barely had time to block. A grunt was heard from behind Shuichi, and he turned, seeing Maki crumple to the ground in a heap. A man with white hair was holding a plank of wood and standing over top of Maki. 

“Keebo, great timing,” the purple-haired man grinned. “We were scared she was going to beat us,” 

“Yeah, the harlot’s pretty good with a sword,” the blonde girl kicked at Maki’s feet, hands on her hips. 

“Maki!” Shuichi yelled, rushing over to his friend and kneeling down and resting the fallen girl’s head on his knees. “You killed her!” 

“No, only knocked her out,” the white-haired man threw the plank of wood to the side. “And besides, we don’t kill,” 

Shuichi looked around at the four people circling him. The white-haired man looked out of place with these people, wearing a black jacket with a popped collar and shirt and pants that looked very similar to what his uncle wore. He looked like a noble. 

“Are you all pirates? For The Dice?” Shuichi asked, looking at the four. They had to be, with what the man had said earlier and the white-haired pirate’s mention of how they don’t kill. 

“Ah, we have a fan!” the purple-haired man grinned. “And what is the name of this fan and his friend?” 

“Oh! This is Maki Harukawa,” Shuichi motioned to the girl in his arms. “And I’m Shuichi. Shuichi Saihara,” At the mention of his name, the four pirates' eyes went wide. “What? Did I say something?” 

“What luck that the guy who attacked us is the one we are looking for!” the white-haired man grinned, looking down at Shuichi. 

“Hey, you all attacked me! It was self-defense!” Shuichi retorted, glancing around at the pirates. “And what do you mean, ‘looking for’?” 

“Miu, tie him up,” the short man handed the girl some rope, and she immediately moved to grab Shuichi. He stood up, backing away from the girl, but the white-haired man stopped him, gripping his shoulders so he could be tied. 

“Come on, pretty boy. It’s just some rope! I’ve been tied up with way worse,” the blonde winked, gripping Shuichi’s wrist roughly and wrapping the rope around his wrists. It was tight, and Shuichi could barely move his hands. The purpled haired man had picked up Maki in his arms, cradling her like a bride. 

“Let’s get them to the ship. Captain’s waiting for us,” The pirates nodded, pushing Shuichi along with them, down and across the dock. Shuichi was buzzing with worry and excitement. He finally got to meet some pirates but as a prisoner. They had also destroyed his home, his citizens' lives, and hurt his friend. He felt terrible for being excited about getting to go on a real pirate ship. Maki was going to lecture him so hard when she woke up. His Uncle, too. Millions of possible questions were buzzing in his brain. What was going to happen to him? Why did these pirates know him? Where were they going?

Shuichi looked up, and through the haze of smoke and gunpowder, a large mast with a checkered flag attached peaked into view in the distance. The Dice. 

“Finally! I took you all forever to get here!” a new voice entered the mix. Shuichi looked down over the dock and saw a girl with dark hair in two braids underneath a green bandana with white flowers on them. Bangs shadowed her bright green eyes, and she was wearing a cropped ruffled blouse with a blue half corset. She also had tight black breeches and black boots going up half her leg. 

“Oh great, another degenerate male. They couldn’t have had a daughter,” she grumbled, as she reached out an arm to help Miu guide Shuichi down onto the rowboat. 

“Ah, don’t get your undergarments in a bunch, Tenko. We have another prisoner,” the short man jumped down from the dock, along with the white-haired man who took Maki from the other pirate and placed her on the floor of the boat. 

“Oh thank Atua,” the black-haired girl Shuichi deduced as Tenko praised. The purple-haired man jumped down into the boat, and Tenko began rowing towards the other ship in the distance. 

“So, why exactly did you kidnap me? Is it for ransom? Selling me to the highest bidder?” Shuichi asked the pirates, his hands getting sore from the rope around his wrists. 

“You sound a little too eager about all this. Got a pirate kink?” The blonde girl asked from her spot next to the white-haired man, the latter helping Tenko row. 

Shuichi felt his face get hot. This girl was very blunt. “N-No, it’s not that, it’s-”

“He’s definitely got a pirate kink,” Tenko snorted as she continued to row. Shuichi was too embarrassed to press them any further, so the rest of the trip was spent in silence as they rowed towards the ship. As it drew closure, Shuichi took in every aspect of it with amazement. 

It wasn’t as big as he thought, but he assumed that it made up for it in speed. It had dark black wood making its frame, with barnacles peeking out from its hull. The figurehead was a mermaid, reaching out towards the horizon, beautifully chiseled into the ship. The sails were pitch black, with the exception of the checkered one on the crows' nest. Shuichi desperately wanted to explore every inch of the ship, discover its mysteries and document it in his journal. 

“Friends! Gonta is glad to see you!” Shuchi looked up to the side of the ship, seeing a large man with long green hair peeking over the side, glasses hiding his dark red eyes. “I shall lower ropes now!” 

“Thanks, Gonta!” the purple-haired man called back, and soon after two ropes with hooks flew over the railing of the ship. Tenko and the other girl attacked the hooks to the ends of the boat and called up for Gonta to pull. Shuichi flew backward as the boat lurched and began to travel up and away from the rocky sea. 

“Is he the captain?” Shuichi asked, watching as the sea beneath them got farther and farther away. The pirates all looked at each other before breaking out into laughter and tears, Tenko going as far as to clutch her stomach in laughter. 

“Gonta? The captain?” The purple-haired man wiped his eyes, flicking away a tear. “No, definitely not,” 

“You’ll meet the captain soon enough,” the white-haired man grinned, hosting Maki in his arms and taking a step onto The Dice. The others followed the white-haired man, leaving Shuichi the last one on the boat. He looked down at the wood of the deck, his knees shaking slightly. 

“Oh come on! Just step on, we got places to be!” The blonde girl grabbed the ropes binding Shuichi’s hands and pulled him onto the deck. Shuichi stumbled forward, his feet landing on the wet deck. 

“Tie them up on the mast and get ready to set sail for Tortuga. And make it fast, the smoke bombs are clearing and the captain won’t want the Royal Navy on our asses,” 

The other pirates nodded and got to work with their respective jobs. The white-haired man placed Maki against the mast, the blonde following him and forcing Shuichi down next to the slumped over Maki. They wound a rope around their chests, binding them to the wooden mast. 

“Is the captain mean?” Shuichi asked the blonde as she tied a neat knot next to Shuichi. “From what I’ve heard, all pirate captains earn their rank because their crew fears them,”

The girl snorted, standing up and placing her hands on her hips. “Oh yeah. Our captain is so terrifying. Even by mentioning his name every member of this crew gets the shakes. Be prepared, he’s terrifying,” With that, she strutted away, her blonde hair swaying side to side. Shuichi swallowed hard, his knees shaking with anticipation and nervousness. He was going to meet a real pirate captain. But would he live to tell the tale? 

“Shuichi, where are we?” Maki had woken up and was blinking lazily next to him. “Why am I tied up?”

“We are on a pirate ship. You were knocked out from behind,” Shuichi explained, looking over at the girl. “They seem to have attacked Port Morsey to find me, but won’t tell me why,” 

“Well, you are the Governor’s nephew, a high-value target,” Maki struggled in the ropes, trying to shift her body and find an escape. “But don’t worry. I’m sure once the figure out you’re missing, the Royal Navy will be hot on these scoundrel's tails,” 

Shuichi nodded, turning his attention back to the other pirates, who were preparing the ship for launch. The purple-haired man was standing behind the wheel, calling out commands to the crew. He must be the first mate, in charge of overseeing everyone when the captain was absent. 

“Yo! Crew!” the man yelled, making the crew stop their work and glance over at him. “Captain on deck!” The pirates turned, looking across the sip from the wheel, towards a door that had swung open. Shuichi peered around the mast of the ship, trying to catch a glimpse of the captain. 

A person stepped out of the door, his face shrouded by a black hat and a large white feather. He was wearing a long white tattered jacket with mismatched buttons and white breeches, with a black sash holding them up. He had large black boots and a long sword attached to a belt. 

“You guys took forever! Man, I could replace you idiots with a crew full of skeletons and they’d be faster!” His voice was a bit raspy, with a childish tone that Shuichi didn’t expect from a captain. It sounded a bit cocky and mysterious like he knew something the others didn’t. 

Shuichi watched with anticipation as the captain slowly lifted his head, revealing his face. Shuichi felt his heart stop, then restart again a little faster as he made eye contact with the captain. The captain was very pale, his face sharp and refined. He looked harmless, but Shuichi knew looks were very deceiving. He had wide purple eyes and medium length wavy black hair with a purple tint. 

At eye contact with Shuichi, the captain broke into a wide, mischievous grin. “Shuichi Saihara. Welcome aboard The Dice!”


	3. Chapter 3

Shuichi watched as the captain swaggered over to the mast, looking them up and down, taking in every inch. He was definitely not what he had in mind when he thought of a captain. Shuichi had imagined a tall, muscular menacing man with a voice that could shake the sea, not a short, admittedly cute man who was drinking what Shuichi thought was juice instead of rum. 

The ship began moving out of the waters near Port Morsey onto the open ocean, meaning wherever they were going, Shuichi and Maki were now tagging along. The other pirates of the crew were watching their captain intently, whispering amongst themselves and he paced around the pole. 

“You all seem to know my name. Can I know yours?” Shuichi asked, a surge of confidence flowing through him. Maki hushed him from her spot on the remark, telling him to keep quiet. 

“I guess we can let you know our names since you’ll be with us for a while,” The captain chuckled, placing a finger over his mouth and stopping in front of Shuichi. He leaned forward, his face dangerously close to Shuichi’s. Shuichi felt his face heat up under the close inspection of those purple eyes. 

“I am Kokichi Ouma, captain of this fine vessel,” Kokichi stood up, resuming his pacing around the mast. “While on this vessel you will treat my crew with respect and kindness, and they will do the same to you. Except for Miu, you can treat her however you want, I’m sure she’d like that,” 

“H-Hey!” the blonde girl stammered, her face getting red. Kokichi giggled, glancing over at the girl. 

“If you haven’t guessed, that’s our resident slut, Miu. She built this fine vessel and knows the ins and outs of all the canons and rigging. If you ever find yourself needing her assistance, but I don’t know why you would, she’s probably below deck fucking a canon or something,” 

Shuichi was taken aback by Kokichi’s bluntness and rude nature to his crew. Miu, on the other hand, was blushing like crazy, hiding behind the white-haired man who was glaring at Kokichi. 

“The idiot that Miu is hiding behind is Keebo. And yes, we know he’s dressed like a prick because he is one,” Kokichi grinned wildly at Keebo, who crossed his arms over his chest. 

“Just because our line of business is messy doesn’t mean I have to dress messy,” Keebo said, tapping his foot on the deck. Kokichi blew him a kiss, before looking for his next victim. 

“Ah! Gonta,” Kokichi ran over to the large man with long green hair tied back in a ponytail. The man was wearing a white blouse and breeches, with a brown sash around his waist. He didn’t appear to be wearing shoes. Kokichi had climbed onto Gonta’s back, wrapping his arms around the man's neck. “This is our gentle giant, Gonta. He’s our cook, since no one else can cook for shit. He’s super strong, probably can give your friend there a run for her money,” 

Maki scoffed next to Shuichi, turning her head to the side. “If you untie me we can put it two a bet,” 

“Nishishi~ I don’t think so!” Kokichi climbed down from Gonta’s back and pranced over to Tenko, who was filing her nails on the railing. 

“This is Tenko, she’s our Gunner. She can load three canons in under three minutes,” Kokichi went to pat the girl’s shoulder, but Tenko grabbed his wrist before he could. “She also is an Aikido Master, whatever that is,” 

“I can load in under two minutes, and it’s Neo-Aikido, you degenerate,” Tenko hissed, throwing Kokichi’s arm away. 

“It’s a miracle she ever listens to me,” Kokichi grinned, walking over to the short man smoking a cigarette. “Oh! This munchkin is Ryoma!”

“I swear I will kill you in your sleep,” the shorter man growled, taking a smoke of his cigarette. 

“Aw, you love me!” Kokichi rocked back and forth on his heels looking down at the short man. “I saved Ryoma from the gallows, and he’s stuck around ever since!” 

“You mean I saved you from the gallows, and you asked me to join your crew,” Ryoma corrected the young captain, getting a snicker from the other crew members. 

“Whatever, same difference,” Kokichi shrugged. His mouth then made an ‘O’ shape, and he bounced over to the man behind the wheel. Shuichi watched as the purpled-haired man rolled his eyes, keeping his hand gripped tightly on the wheel. 

“This dashing man is Kaito! My loyal first mate and navigator,” Kokichi patted Kaito on the back, making the man behind the wheel wince. “He can navigate the stars better than anyone I know!” Kaito gave a nod and a wink to Shuichi and Maki, before returning to his work. 

Shuichi nodded, taking in each and every one of the crew members one by one. They were very much a ragtag group of pirates, and it was amazing that they even listened to Kokichi, seeing as how they all seemed to be aggressive toward the captain. 

Maki as if reading his mind, spoke up. “How are you the captain? You’re like, twelve,” 

“I’m actually in my fifties,” Kokichi grinned, resting his hands behind his head. 

“He’s lying, he’s nineteen, like all of us, except Ryoma, he won’t tell us his age,” Miu spat back, walking over towards Shuichi and Maki. “He lies all the fucking time,” 

“You all put up with him?” Maki was asking more questions than Shuichi. The crew looked at each other, an unknown conversation happening between them. They all nodded in unison, unfazed confidence on their faces. 

“We would never abandon our captain,” Keebo’s voice was sure and strong, with a meaning behind his words. 

Shuichi felt his lips curl in a smile and the comradery. He might not have known the story behind how all these people became pirates under Kokichi, but it made him yearn for that sort of bound. 

“Well, now that we’ve introduced ourselves, it’s your turn!” Kokichi jumped down from the upper level where the wheel was and skipped over to Shuichi and Maki. 

“You already know my name, I’m Shuichi,” Shuichi smiled sweetly, looking up at Kokichi. “This is my friend and bodyguard, Maki. Now, would you mind telling us why you kidnapped us?” 

“Why, you’re gonna be our blood sacrifice, of course!” Kokichi smiled innocently. Shuichi felt his heart drop in fear, his face immediately paling. “Just kidding!” 

“Why would you joke about that?” Maki glared, turning her head so she could get a better view of Kokichi. “It’s a serious question,”

“We have a map that leads to the Pirate Lord’s vault,” Kaito explained from his spot behind the wheel. “It’s a vault where the Pirate King and Queen hid all their gold, jewels, and other valuables before they died. It holds more wealth then any pirate could dream of,” 

“Kaito, you ruined it! I wanted to tell the story!” Kokichi huffed, crossing his arms across his chest. Kaito went to speak again, but Kokichi shushed him, holding up a finger. “The map also came with a scroll, and the scroll says the Pirate Lords sealed the vault with a magic spell, that can only be opened with the family jewel, which the King had attached to a ring. We have been searching for that ring, and guess where it led us? Just guess!”

Shuichi looked down at his hands, seeing the ring with the purple jade on it. If the family jewel was attached to a ring, that must mean… “Wait, this ring? My father's ring?” Kokichi nodded excitedly, squatting down in front of Shuichi. 

“If you wanted the ring, why didn’t you just take it instead of kidnap us?” Maki questioned, her eyes still stuck in a glare at the captain. 

“Kidnapping is so much more fun! Don’t ya think?” Kokichi's face suddenly got serious, his features shadowed as he stood up, looming over Shuichi. “So we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. You can assist us in opening the vault, or you can stay stuck on this mast until we reach said vault, get our treasure, and then drop you off on a random island to rot,”

Shuichi gave Maki a worried look, but the girl remained stone-faced, unwavering confidence on her face. 

“So, what’s your choice? Want to help us?” Kokichi was back to his jumpy personality, smiling down at Shuichi. 

“Absolutely,”

“No way in hell are we helping you,” 

Shuichi and Maki exchanged looks, the two obviously on different pages. Maki raised a threatening eyebrow, challenging Shuichi’s decision. 

“Shuichi, no way,” Maki hissed under her breath, her teeth bared. “We don’t know what kind of trouble we could get into if we help these pirates. If your Uncle found out I allowed this-”

“Maki, please,” Shuichi whispered, his eyes pleading. “You know better than anyone how much I’ve wanted to get out on the open sea, experience the pirate life, do something that isn’t sitting and listening to my Uncle talk about politics I don’t care about. Let me do this one thing, give me this one experience, and I swear I’ll put away all this pirate stuff, hell, I’ll even accept the Commodore’s proposal, if that will convince you. Just give me this,” 

Shuichi could see Maki thinking it over in her head, her face contorted in worry. It took her a few moments, but then her eyes then snapped up Shuichi, her mind made up. 

“Fine,” Maki nodded, making Shuichi grin. “But if those goes horribly wrong, I get to say ‘I told you so’”

“Of course,” Shuichi smiled, looking over at Kokichi in excitement. “We’re in,” 

Kokichi’s smile got even wider, and he motioned for Miu to come over and untie them. The blonde produced a knife, slicing the ropes that bound Shuichi’s wrists and then cutting the rope around the mast. Shuichi and Maki immediately shot up, the former rubbing his wrists from the rope burn. 

“I’m glad you decided to join us on our escapade,” Kokichi smiled, taking Shuichi by the wrist and pulling him up to where the wheel was. Kaito nodded and moved out of the way, letting Kokichi take the wheel. 

“Believe me, I am thrilled to be joining you,” Shuichi looked out onto the ship, watching each of the crew members milling about. Keebo was climbing up the mast towards the crow’s nest, Ryoma and Tenko were counting cannonballs, Gonta had disappeared, probably under the deck to cook. Miu was hammering a plank that looked like it had gotten loose, and Kaito looked like he was attempting to make small talk with Maki. Keyword being attempt. 

Kokichi had pulled something out of his jacket, unfurling it. Shuichi looked over his shoulder, looking at the maps. They were in french, a language he couldn’t read, and it seemed like Kokichi couldn’t either, as he kept moving it every which way like he thought it was written upside down. 

“That’s french. Why is it in french?” Shuichi asked, startling Kokichi. The captain turned around, looking up and Shuichi. “Sorry, did I startle you?”

“Nope! I don’t get scared,” Kokichi smiled, tapping Shuichi on the nose. “And yes, it is french,”

“If it’s in french, how do you know where we’re going?” 

Kokichi rolled up the map, placing it in his jacket. “I don’t. That’s why we are going to see someone who can,” 

Shuichi cocked his head, raising an eyebrow. “Who? France is very far from here,”

“Nishishi~ I know. We’re going to Tortuga!” Kokichi giggled, placing a hand on the wheel. “And paying a little visit to The French Phantom,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Hope you all are enjoying the story so far. I'm averaging about two chapters a day, with time to edit and review. I am excited to see how you all like the story or dislike it, that's chill too. Either way, I hope you find something in the book you like. :)


	4. Chapter 4

Shuichi leaned on the railing of The Dice, looking out at the endless sea around him. To say he was happy would be an understatement. The wind in his hair, the taste of saltwater in his mouth, it was everything he dreamed and more. Next to him, Maki was definitely not feeling the same. She wretched over the side of the ship for what felt like the tenth time that morning, wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her red jacket. 

“I hate sailing,” Maki groaned, sitting down on the deck and resting her head against the railing. “Why did I agree to this,” 

“Look at it this way,” Shuichi rested his chin on his hands, still looking out at the sea. “The option was either this, or spend out time tied on the mast, and throw up on the deck,”

“Yeah! And if you hadn’t agreed to this option, we wouldn’t be hanging out like this, Maki Roll!” Kaito was sitting on the stairs that led up to the wheel, his leg crossed over each other. 

“Shouldn’t you be reading star charts or something,” Maki spat back, before standing back up and vomiting over the side once again. 

“No, I actually have free time-”

“No, you don’t!” Shuichi and Kaito looked over, watching as Kokichi walked over toward them, holding a bunch of papers in his hand. “Kaito, did you forget all these maps I asked you to finish or did you forget once Maki walked on board this vessel?”

“No, Kokichi, I was just… I’ll get right on it,” Kaito got up from his spot on the stars and took the papers from Kokichi. “Maki, want to join me? We’re working in Kokichi’s cabin, the rocking isn’t as bad in there,” 

Maki nodded eagerly, rushing over next to Kaito’s side to head into the room before she had the urge to vomit again. Shuichi smiled as he watched them leave, before returning his gaze to the ocean. 

“For someone who lived at a trading port, you seem to stare at the ocean a lot,” Kokichi walked over next to Shuichi, leaning on the railing. “Didn’t you have a beautiful bay window in that large mansion of yours?” 

Shuichi snorted, nodding his head slightly. “I did. But I never got to experience the ocean, not like this,” Shuichi looked over at Kokichi, who was watching him intently. “Pirates like you and your crew have always fascinated me. Your free life, your ability to sail the seas and go anywhere you’d like. I envy it. I don’t care for the politics and power my uncle is grooming me to inherit,” Shuichi returned his gaze to the ocean, feeling the railing of the wood under his fingertips. “I want to be free, even if it’s only for this short while. Just so I can experience it for myself,” Shuichi reached for his ring, twisting in on his finger. It felt weird, telling these feelings to someone he barely knew. Maybe he was so willing to because he had only been able to tell Maki before, and the girl was getting tired of his ramblings. 

Another thought popped in Shuichi’s mind, something that had him thinking since Kokichi had told him about the Pirate Lord’s Vault. 

“Were my parents pirates?” Shuichi asked, looking down at the ring. “You said that this ring belonged to the Pirate King. This is my father’s ring. Are they the same person?”

Kokichi snapped out of his trance, moving his gaze from Shuichi’s profile to the ring. “I’m sorry, I don’t know. It’s possible, but it’s also possible that your parents acquired it from someone else,” 

Shuichi smiled at Kokichi, pursing his lips. “It’s alright. I didn’t expect you to know,” 

The two stood there in silence, staring out at the ocean, watching the waves crash against the side of the ship. Shuichi glanced over at the captain. Kokichi had a serene look on his face, like in this moment, everything in the world was right. A feeling washed over Shuichi, telling him that he was meant to be here, on this ship, on this adventure. 

“Wanna learn how to steer the ship?” Shuichi snapped out of his trance, looking down at Kokichi who was grinning up at him. 

“I-I… Absolutely!” Shuichi smiled, and Kokichi eagerly took his hand and pulled him up to the wheel. Ryoma was standing out the wheel, smoking his cigarette. Kokichi tilted his head to the side, and the small man let go of the wheel and slinked away. 

Kokichi placed Shuichi’s hand on the wheel, allowing him to feel the cool, smooth wood under his hands. Kokichi’s hand was still on top of Shuichi's, guiding him. 

“Now, I value this ship more than my own life. Can I trust you at the helm?” Shuichi glanced over at Kokichi, grey eyes meeting purple. 

“Yes,” he breathed. Kokichi broke into a Cheshire grin, moving Shuichi’s hand to another knob on the wheel. 

“The right of the ship is the starboard, and the left is the port. When you move it to the port side, that rope in the middle uncoils on the left side and coils on the right. That rope is connected to the rudder, which moves our ship,” Kokichi moved Shuichi’s hand to the left slightly, and the ship began to slowly move to the left. 

“Using Kaito’s maps, and with the aid of Keebo’s eyes in the sky, I know how to go anywhere in the world,” Kokichi grinned, looking up at Shuichi. “Well, that’s a lie. I can’t go there if it’s uncharted,” 

“How do you know which way is north? The stars aren’t out during the day time, and I don’t see a compass,” Shuichi questioned, moving the wheel to the right. Kokichi removed his hand from Shuichi’s and the raven-haired boy immediately missed the feeling. 

“If you look down in the middle of the wheel, Miu installed a compass into the wheel so I can look right at it when I’m steering,” Kokichi tapped the glass casing of the compass. “See, that harlot’s good for something,” 

Shuichi smiled slightly, continuing to steer the ship as he traveled through the waves, the ship bouncing up and down. Kokichi was standing next to him, looking out over the deck at the crew below. 

“Do you mind if I ask you a few questions? About you and your crew, I mean,” Shuichi asked, reaching into his pocket and grabbing his journal and handing it to Kokichi. “See, I document all the stories I hear about different pirates and their stories,” 

Kokichi flipped through the journal, reading a few lines on the pages. “Aww, do I fascinate you, Shuichi? Keep you up at night wondering what nefarious deeds me and my crew have been doing?” 

Shuichi blushed, taking his journal back from Kokichi. “You would, but I have nothing on you and your crew,” 

At those words, Kokichi grinned, raising an eyebrow. Shuichi realized what he said, and immediately regretted it. 

“I-I m-mean, not like that, it’s just, your crew is the only one no one know’s anything about. They knew your tactics, your colors, but not the faces. And I want to,” 

Kokichi tapped his chin, either thinking hard or hardly thinking. “Mmm… one question. I’ll answer one question, but get ask one in return,” 

“Sounds reasonable, sure,” Shuichi agreed, and the two switched places. Shuichi pulled out a pencil, propping himself up on a ledge near the wheel. “OK, what’s with the no-killing rule? No other pirate I’ve read about has a rule like that, and they have some interesting rules,” 

Kokichi smirked, glancing over at Shuichi who was staring at him eagerly, pencil bouncing in his hand. “That’s a simple question with a complicated answer,” Kokichi tapped his finger against the wheel, obviously thinking of his word choice very carefully. “Killing, to me, is the worst thing a person can do. Taking another person's life is something you can never go back from, you can never atone for that. I’ve seen too many pirates take innocent people’s lives when raiding towns, lives that they didn’t need to. That’s why, on my ship, no killing is rule number one,” Kokichi finished his spiel, hands hand gripping on the wheel, tight. 

Shuichi finished writing his notes but found that response left him with more questions than answers. 

“Did something happen that led you to this rule? You say you’ve seen pirates take lives, what happened-”

“We agreed to one question, did we not?” Kokichi relaxed his hands, turning his body to face Shuichi’s. “And I get to ask my question in return,” 

“I guess you're right,” Shuichi frowned, closing his notebook and placing it back in his jacket. “I’ll save the rest of my questions for another time,” 

“Yay! My turn for a question!” Kokichi grinned, tapping his hands on the wheel like it was a drum. Shuichi smiled at the childish nature of the captain. It was a nice change of pace from the usual stories of captains. 

“I heard you mention a commodore and a marriage proposal. What’s that about?” At the question, Shuichi tensed up, his fists clenching and unclenching. “I’m sorry if you don’t want to answer that I can-”

“No, it’s fine. I asked you a question and you answered, it’s only fair I agree to our terms,” Shuichi placed his hands in his lap, rubbing them together. “My uncle wants me to marry this commodore who’s been courting me for awhile. She’s a really sweet girl, and any guy would be lucky to be courted by her, but I don’t want to get married, not yet. And when I do, I want it to be for love, not because my uncle wants me to or because she thinks it will be a morale booster for our citizens,” 

Kokichi hummed, focusing his gaze on the steering wheel while Shuichi looked out at the ocean once again. “I’m engaged, you know,” Shuichi eyes went wide as he glanced over at the captain, who was still looking out at his crew. “Me and Keebo. We are very much in love. I’d invite you to our wedding, but we’re waiting till we find the Vault so we can plan an expensive one,”

Kokichi turned his head, an evil grin painted on his face. “But that’s a lie,” Shuichi let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, his shoulders slumping. “I’d never kiss that noble wanna be! That right is reserved for the cum bucket!” 

Shuichi guessed that it was Miu, based on how Kokichi had referred to her in the past. Shuichi suddenly let out a snort, followed by a giggle, then a full-on laugh. Kokichi stared at the boy in confusion as Shuichi doubled over from laughing. 

“What? What’s so funny? It better not be me or I’ll throw you overboard!” Kokichi narrowed his eyes at Shuichi, who was still laughing. 

“N-No, it’s not you,” Shuichi sniffed, wiping the tears from his eyes. “Well it is, but it’s… oh, nevermind, I don’t even know why I’m laughing,” Shuichi jumped off the ledge, his feet landing solidly on the deck. 

“Thanks for teaching me how to sail, and making me feel better, Captain,” Shuichi smiled, his grin going from ear to ear. Kokichi went to respond, but someone interrupted him. 

“Hey, Shuichi!” the two men near the wheel glanced over at the sound of the voice, seeing Miu waving from the deck. “Get yer virgin ass over here and help me fix this canon!” Shuichi felt his neck heat up at the name-calling. 

“Hey, if you’re gonna bum out on my ship, go make yourself useful,” Kokichi pointed out towards Miu, his voice commanding. Shuichi nodded, hurrying off down the steps and crossing the deck towards Miu. 

“Took you long enough to get over here, you sleaze bag!” Miu groaned, lifting up a hammer and thrusting it into Shuichi’s hands. “See these knobs on the carriage? I need you to bang ‘em in,” He took the tool from Miu, clutching it tightly. 

Shuichi raised the hammer, swinging it down on the knob. It barely moved. He swung again. Again, it barely moved. 

“Oh, come on! Use more force than that!” Miu took the hammer from Shuichi, swinging down on the knob and knocking it on the first try. “I’ve seen you wield a sword, you have muscle, now use it!” 

Shuichi bit his lip, raising the hammer up and swinging down with all his might. It didn’t go in first try, but it made it farther down than his previous attempts. Miu nodded in approval, and the two got to work on hammering in the knobs. 

“Ya know, I’ve never seen the captain let anyone use the wheel beside Kaito and Ryoma,” Miu said as she continued to hammer in the knobs on her side. Shuichi looked over at the man in question, who was discussing something with Gonta by the wheel. 

“He was just being nice. I told him I studied pirates, and he was just aiding my investigation,” Shuichi shrugged, watching as Kokichi seemingly teased Gonta, making the taller man blush slightly. 

“No, it’s more than that,” Miu grabbed another tool, doing something on her side of the canon. “This ship is Kokichi’s life. He designed this ship and provided me with all the materials to build it. He wouldn’t trust just anyone to steer her,” 

Shuichi glanced one more time at the captain, before turning back to his work, hitting in the last knob. Miu walked over, tightening something underneath the carriage. Shuichi watched her intently as she tightened each bolt quickly, it didn't her long to finish her side. 

“Miu! Did you fix Maria?” Tenko had popped her head out of the hold, lifting herself up and walking over. “Mary and Ann are getting lonely down there without her,” Shuichi raised an eyebrow at Tenko, confused. 

“Who are Maria, Mary, and Ann?” he asked innocently. Tenko didn’t reply, walking over to the canon and stroking it like it was her lover. 

“Tenko has taken to naming the canons after girls she meets in our travels,” Miu snorted, packing the tools away in a crate next to her. “Mary was a bar wench we met in San Juan, Ann was a blacksmith’s apprentice in Statia, and Maria was… Keebo! Who was Maria again?” Miu called up to the bow in the crow’s nest. 

“Isn't she that nun in Trinidad? The one who Kaito thought was a man?” Keebo called back, leaning over the lookout spot. 

“She was a woman, she just had very square features!” Tenko hissed, standing up next to the canon. “You all are just jealous that I can get women and you all can’t!”

“Ah, are we talking about Tenko’s Canon Cult?” Ryoma had appeared from somewhere, the cigarette balancing between his fingers. The others nodded as Tenko huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Are all the canon’s named?” Shuichi asked, looking at the crew members. He had his journal out now and was immediately jotting down notes. 

“No, not all of them,” Tenko sighed, looking longingly at a cannon at the bow of the ship, the only canon not facing from the side. “I’m saving that beauty for when I meet my soulmate,” The canon in question was golden, the sun reflecting off of it, making Shuichi shield his eyes. 

“Ah, you still believe in that shit?” Miu teased, lightly nudging Tenko in the shoulder. “Soulmates are stupid. Why be tied down by one person when there are so many fish in the sea to fuck!” 

“This is why there isn’t a canon named ‘Miu’” Tenko retorted, pushing Maria over toward the hatch to the hull and away from the conversation. 

“Miu, it never fails to amaze me how you make even the most innocent of phrases into the dirtiest sayings,” Ryoma frowned, shaking his head disapprovingly at the girl. Miu stuck out her tongue, picking up the box of tools and walking away. 

“Land ho!” Keebo voice’s called from his spot above them. “Tortuga spotted dead ahead!” Shuichi ran to the front of the ship, looking over the wood to catch a glimpse of the land. It was a tiny speck in the distance, barely visible to the naked eye. 

“All hands on deck!” Kokichi called out, the crew all appearing from their various locations to get to work. “Prepare for docking, lock up all valuables! This is Tortuga, crew, I don’t need to remind you all about last time we docked here, do I?”

“I think you need to remind Kaito since it was his fault our rum was stolen,” Ryoma murmured, walking over to some rope lying on the ground. 

“Oh, stop your yapping and get to work!” Kaito had appeared with Maki behind him, the star charts in his arms. Maki walked up the stairs to stand next to Shuichi at the front of the ship. 

“Feeling better?” Shuichi asked, looking over at his friend. She looked better, definitely less green. 

“Yeah, I guess,” Maki shrugged, looking over the wood to get a glimpse of the land ahead. “Are you sure you want to do this? I think if we are fast enough, we can escape on one of the rowboats,” 

Shuichi gave Maki a look, and she shut up, already knowing his answer. Maki and Shuichi looked over the ship to the horizon ahead, Tortuga getting closer and closer every minute. The excitement kept building up in Shuichi. He was going to get to see the pirate haven of Tortuga first hand and get the adventure started for real. He turned, looking over at the crew and its captain. His grin grew even wider.


	5. Chapter 5

Tortuga was the hive of all pirate activity in the Caribbean. Countless bars, prostitutes, and drunk pirates topped off with enough alcohol to supply every household in England for a year. The Dice weighed anchor at the port, and Shuichi could immediately smell the fumes of shit and bad decisions. 

The crew drew pieces of hay to see who would go into the town with Kokichi, but to Maki and Shuichi it looked like they were really drawing to see who got to stay behind on the ship. None of them seemed to be enthused about stepping onto the grimy island. 

Ryoma got the short straw, so he got to stay on the ship to keep watch over the valuables Kokichi mentioned how he wasn’t willing to take any chances after the incident last time, and the entire crew shot glares at Kaito. 

“Oh, stop giving me that look!” Kaito sighed, throwing crossed arms over his chest. “It was a very stressful day, anyone could have made that mistake. Let’s just forget about it,” 

“Kaito’s right,” Kokichi walked into the center of the circle the group had made on the deck. “Right now, we need to go in, get our information, and then get out. We have lots of people on this island I owe money to, so discretion is key,” 

The crew nodded, and all began their walk over to the gangplank to exit the ship. Maki and Shuichi followed but were stopped by Kokichi. 

“You two,” Kokichi looked between the duo, his purple eyes back shining under the pale light of the moon above. “Better be on your best behavior. Stick with me and the crew at all times. Don’t talk to anyone, don’t look at anyone. Cause trouble and we will leave you on this island faster than you can say ‘pirate’” 

Shuichi and Maki nodded in understanding, making Kokichi grin. The captain looped his arm through Shuichi’s pulling the young man with him as they walked down the gangplank. The rest of the crew was waiting on the dock, talking animatedly amongst themselves. 

“All righty, you scallywags,” Kokichi grinned, his arm still looped with Shuichi. “Let’s go pay a visit to our dear old Phantom,” The crew nodded, and they all began their way towards the dimly lit town. 

Music was drifting from the buildings, and hundreds of people were milling about. Pirates drinking with each other on the streets hollering merrily at women who passed by, some lying in the mud of the ground, passed out from the liquor. Prostitutes leaning against walls, calling out to passersby, or accepting a drink from a man who needed company. It was truly the pirate hell hole Shuichi had read about. 

“Shilling for a night, dear? Looks like you can afford it,” one of the prostitutes had walked over to Shuichi, the boy taken aback. The prostitute smiled, and Shuichi noticed one of her teeth missing, and the others rotting. 

“U-Uh…”

“He’s not interested, thanks,” Kokichi tightened his hold on Shuichi’s arm, smiling up at the prostitute. “And we have our own prostitute on our crew, don’t need another. But… that man up there with the white hair would love the attention of a woman like you! Go bug him,” Shuichi looked as Kokichi pointed a dainty finger towards Keebo, who was walking a few feet ahead of them, talking to Gonta. The prostitute nodded and scurried off towards the finely dressed man. 

“I don’t think Keebo is going to appreciate that,” Shuichi noted as they continued their walk down the street, still arm and arm with the captain. 

“Nishishi~ I know. I just love messing with him!” Kokichi giggled, the two watching as Keebo stuttered at the prostitute who was fawning over him. Miu was whacking her away, telling the harlot to get lost. 

“Miu! Stop hitting her! Gonta thinks she just need friend!” Gonta said to Miu after the prostitute ran away from the girl’s relentless attacks. 

“Gonta, again, prostitutes are not people we make friends with,” Kaito gently explained, placing a hand on the tall man’s shoulder. “They sell their bodies. They could give us bad diseases,” Gonta nodded in understanding, thanking Kaito for clearing up his confusion. 

“It is so terrible that women have to sell their bodies to make ends meet,” Tenko frowned, glancing at the other women of the night who were leaning against the walls of taverns and buildings, flaunting their assets.

“The economy’s rough these days these days,” Maki mumbled from next to Kaito. The first mate broke into a huge grin, looking down at the brunette girl. 

“Maki Roll! Did you just make a joke?” he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, rubbing his free hand on her hair affectionately. “She’s warming up to us, lads!” 

Maki stammered, hitting Kaito in the chest to getaway. “Do you want to die?” She hissed, fixing her hair from Kaito’s ruffling. 

Shuchi smiled, happy to see Maki warming up, ever so slightly, to the band of pirates. They all continued on their way, turning down an alley and walking towards a bar at the end of the road. Suichi looked up at the sign as they approached. It read ‘The White Mask: Pirates Welcome’. 

“Shuichi, welcome to the White Mask!” Kokichi grinned, pulling the man into the swinging doors. The bar was rather large, two levels that were connected with a spiral staircase, black iron clashing against the majority wood room. The patrons were all varying degrees of drunk, some going as far as to swing from the iron chandeliers looming over their heads. 

“Wow, this place is…” Shuichi searched for the right words, not sure how to exactly capture the essence of this place,” 

“Loud,” 

“Messy,”

“Full of new friends!”

“Reeks of desperation,” 

Kaito, Keebo, Gonta, and Miu added their own words to describe the place. Shuichi shook his head, none of those words were what he was looking for. 

“Awesome?” Kokichi smiled, looking up at Shuichi. The taller boy nodded, excitement in his grey eyes. “Ah, I knew you’d love this place!” Kokichi and the rest of the crew approached the bar, each taking a free set or standing against the wood. Kokichi and Shuichi sat next to each other, Maki taking the vacant seat to Shuichi’s right. 

“Excuse me, barkeep?” Miu raised her hand, getting the man’s attention. Shuichi watched as the blonde positioned herself just so on the bar, as to flaunt her chest. The barkeep, immediately interested, swaggered over. “Can you get me and my friends here each a glass of your best rum?” Miu asked, batting her eyelashes. The bar kept looking her up and down, eagerly nodding and turning to get them all glasses.

“M-Miu!” Keebo stammered, pulling Miu down from the bar. “Stop that!” 

“Eh, let the whore do what she wants,” Kokichi waved his hand in the air, dismissing Keebo’s words. “She’s getting you free drinks,”

Shuichi watched as the barkeep placed a mug in front of him, a cool brown liquid sloshing inside the mug. He glanced to his side, seeing Tenko and Kaito down their glasses like it was absolutely nothing. 

“Ever had rum before?” Kokichi asked, picking up his glass and looking inside at the liquid. 

“No, I haven’t,” Shuichi confessed, tracing his finger around the rim of the glass. “We usually have wine without dinners, but I don’t indulge,” 

“I hate rum,” Kokichi placed the cup down, before resting his chin on his hands and looking at Shuichi. “It tastes gross to me. I much prefer apple juice or grape juice,” He then slid his glass down the wood of the bar, the glass landing perfectly in front of Tenko. She took the glass, raising it in thanks to Kokichi, before sipping it as well. 

Shuichi looked down at his glass, then over at Maki, who brought the mug to her lips and drank it all in one gulp while Kaito cheered her own. Shuichi looked back at his drink, clasping it in one hand, and bringing it to his lips. He swallowed it, the sweet drink coating his throat. He sputtered, slamming the glass down and coughing. 

Kokichi was laughing next to him, slamming his hand down on the bar. “You idiot! You downed that whole thing in one swig!” 

Shuichi finished his coughing fit, his face red from the action. He regained his breath, pushing the drink away from him. “I don’t think I like that very much,” 

“Nishishi~ I can tell!” Kokichi placed his arms behind his head, leaning back in the barstool. “Rum’s not for everyone,” 

Shuichi asked the bartender for a glass of water and drank the clear liquid fast to try and erase the taste of syrup on his throat. “So, we’re meeting the French Phantom, right? Cosette Blanche?” 

Kokichi nodded, glancing around the bar, looking for her. “Yeah, I don’t know where that idiot is, though,” 

“Does she frequent her often? I heard she’s like a robin hood, stealing from the rich, giving to the poor,” Shuichi also looked around the bar. He knew what the lady pirate looked like from her mug shots with Kirumi Tojo. 

“Does she frequent here?” A sweet voice asked from behind the bar. “Kid, I own this place!” Kokichi and Shuichi turned, seeing tall, slender women staring at them from the bar entrance to the kitchen. She had long, blonde hair and bright green eyes, with a scar trailing from her lip to a chin. Her fair skin looked paler under the candlelight, and she was wearing a tattered and dirty white dress, a red corset, and an apron over her waist. It was Cosette Blanche. 

“Cosette! Looking lovely as ever!” Kokichi grinned, beckoning her over to them. Cosette hesitantly walked over, mistrust painted on her face. 

“Cosette!” Tenko screeched, practically jumping over the bar and hugging her. Cosette winced, pushing the girl away and patting her on the head. 

“Tenko, nice to see you,” Cosette smiled, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Tenko smiled, before jumping back over the bar and returning to her seat. Shuichi guessed that Cosette most likely had a canon named after her back on the ship. 

“Kokichi, never thought I’d see your face around these parts again,” Cosette leaned over the bar, raising an eyebrow at the young captain. She then turned her face, looking at Shuichi. 

“Who’s this? New member of the crew?” Cosette asked, inspecting Shuichi closer. 

“Nope!” Kokichi popped the last syllable of the word. “This is Shuichi! He’s an honorary member of the crew and our local pirate enthusiast,” 

“Miss Blanche, it’s an honor to meet you. I’ve read and heard so much about you,” Shuichi stuck out an eager hand, which Cosette reluctantly shook. 

“Charmed, I’m sure,” Cosette then grabbed Shuichi’s hand, turning it around and looking at his fingers. “Wait a sec…”

“Yup! It’s the Pirate Lord’s ring!” Kokichi said in a sing-song voice. Cosette gawked, inspecting the ring closer. 

“No way!” Cosette released Shuichi’s hand, looking at Kokichi in amazement. “How’d a little shit like you figure out where to find it? Wait, do you have the map and scroll?” 

Kokichi reached into his jacket, pulling out the map and placed it on the bar. “The map is actually why I came to find you,” The captain unfurled the map, pointing at the writing on it. “It’s in french. I need you to translate it,” 

Cosette pursed her lips, backing away from the map. “And why should I help you?”

Kokichi tapped his lips, his mischievous smile appearing on his face. “I seem to remember a little scuffle with the Togami Trading Company… something about saving your life, which allowed you to pull off that heist…”

“Ok, ok, I’ll help you,” Cosette raised her hands in surrender, talking out a pencil from her apron and leaning over the map. “But after, we’re even, and I don’t want to see you asking for any more favors,” 

Kokichi gave a winning smile to Shuichi, making the raven-haired boy laugh slightly. Shuichi then gave his attention to Cosette, who was scribbling on the map, translating from french to english. Cosette was definitely older here than in her pictures, Shuichi guessed she was in her mid-twenties. He reached into his vest, grabbing his journal. 

“So, did you retire from pirating, Miss Blanche?” Shuichi asked, tapping his pencil on the page. Cosette glanced up, looking at Shuichi. 

“Kokichi, what is he doing?” she whispered, leaning over the car, closer to Kokichi. 

“He is studying pirates. Just go with it,” Kokichi whispered back. Shuichi puffed out his cheeks, tapping his pencil in annoyance. 

Cosette shrugged, returning to translating the map. “Yes, I guess you could say I retired,” Cosette scribbled on the map, tapping her free hand on the bar. “After me and Kirumi’s run-in with the Monokuma, I just couldn’t go back to pirating. I couldn’t go back without my partner in crime,” 

Shuichi nodded, adding to his notes about the duo while Cosette continued. “So I sailed here, put half the Togami jewels in buying this tavern, gave half to the orphanage down the road, and then torched my ship,” 

“You torched your ship?” Maki had now tuned into the conversation, her and Kaito listening intently. “I thought ships were a pirate’s life,” 

“Some of them are, some of them aren’t. My ship, the Prime Minister, reminded me too much of Kirumi,” Cosette placed her pencil down, looking at Maki and Shuichi. “One thing they never tell you about this business is the feeling you get when you lose one of your own,”

“Cosette, why don’t you come with us?” Kokichi spoke up, looking over at Cosette with a look Shuichi hadn’t seen on the captain before. It was a mix of anger and sympathy. “Grab your sword and jacket, show those heathens on the Monokuma you’ve still got it,” 

Cosette smiled but shook her head. “Sorry, Kokichi. I’ve got other responsibilities now,” 

“Mommy!” They all turned, seeing a tiny girl with blonde hair in a white ragged dress and tiny sweater running over towards them. Cosette grinned, walking around the bar and lifting up the tiny girl in her arms. 

“Hi, sweetie!” Cosette spun the girl around, making her giggle. The crew of the Dice turned around, looking at the tiny girl in amazement. 

“Everyone, this is my daughter, Kirumi,” Cosette smiled, looking at the crew. The tiny girl in her arms smiled, waving eagerly at the group. They all waved back, making the girl giggle. 

“Gonta, would you mind playing with her for a second? I need to explain the map to Kokichi,” 

Gonta nodded excitedly, stepping down from his stool and kneeling down next to the girl. “Oh yes! Gonta would love to make new friends!” 

“Can I braid your hair?” The tiny Kirumi asked, her eyes widening at Gonta’s long locks. Gonta nodded, turning around and sitting on the wooden floor. 

“Tenko would love to assist!” Tenko jumped down from her stool, sitting next to the child and helped her section off Gonta’s hair. 

Shuichi smiled down at the sight, before looking back at Cosette who was now standing between him and Kokichi. 

“Kokichi, you and your crew have one hell of a trip ahead of you,” Cosette sighed, turning the map so it was facing her and Kokichi on the bar. 

“Why? What’s the map say?” Shuichi asked, leaning over to get a better look. 

“The path is going to take you right past the Devil’s Triangle, and at this time of year, the tides are going to be pulling you in,” Cosette pointed to a land feature on the map, where she had drawn arrows of where the tide would be. “You also have to pass through Shipwreck Bay, and that’s difficult for even the most seasoned pirate,”

Kaito had now walked over, looking at the maps so he could make the star charts, Shuichi guessed. Cosette then pointed to some french writing she had translated near the ‘X’. 

“This right here says that a veil covers the island when the vault lies, and only a witch’s spell or potion can break the veil,” Cosette explained, folding the map up. “The map also states that once on the island, trials are set up to see if you are worthy of the treasure inside, but it doesn’t say what those trials entail. No doubt they’ll be challenging,” 

“Great, so not only do we have to pass some trials, we need to find a witch to break a cloaking spell,” Kokichi groaned, throwing his head back. 

“Cosette, do you know of any witches that would be willing to help?” Shuichi asked, looking at the ex-pirate. 

Cosette cocked her head, tapping her chin. “I heard Hinata and Komaeda’s crew talking about some witch near Santo Pollo, on an island named Île du Souffle de la Mort, or the Island of Death’s Breath, I think,”

“I just finished the star charts to Santo Pollo, I say it’s maybe a days trip from her, maybe less if winds are favorable,” Kaito noted, taking the map from Cosette’s bar. “It would also be in the same direction towards the Devil’s Triangle,” 

“Should we trust what Hinata and his crew are saying, though?” Keebo joined the conversation, his voice giving Shuichi the idea that maybe the two pirate crews didn’t get along. 

“We’re just going to have to,” Kokichi sighed, hopping off his stool and taking the map from Kaito. “I know we aren’t on the best terms with them-”

“You sure as hell are!” The tavern went silent, as all attention was turned toward the door. In the door stood two men, one with spiky brown hair with one green eye, the other with an eye patch over it, standing next to another man with dusty white hair and a hook on his left hand. They were flanked by three girls, one with pale mauve hair, one with blonde hair, and another with poorly cut purple hair. Two other men stood behind the girls, one with bright pink hair, the other with black and a single white streak. 

“Shuichi, do you know who these pirates are?” Maki whispered as she changed her position to one standing in front of the Shuchi, her hand ghosting over her sword. 

“Yes,” Shuichi breathed, looking at the two men in the front of the group. “That’s Hajime Hinata and Nagito Komaeda, the pirates who master their ship, The Jabberwock,” 

“Yeah, and they don’t like me,” Kokichi grumbled, placing the map in his jacket, and standing in front of his crew. “This is just great,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is staying safe from COVID-19! If you're not in a great mental place due to social isolation, I hope this book is maybe taking your mind off to it. Stay safe out there, pirates! :)


	6. Chapter 6

Shuichi watched the staredown between Hajime, Nagito, and Kokichi, tension thick in the air as everyone in the tavern watched with anticipation. Cosette had walked over, grabbing her daughter from Gonta and placing her behind the bar. 

“You owe us money, Kokichi,” Hajime glared, his arms crossed over his chest. “And lots of it,”

“Listen, listen,” Kokichi sighed, putting on a suave and business-like demeanor Shuichi had seen his uncle use in negotiations. “I have your money, I swear. It’s just not with me right now,” 

“We know that’s a lie,” Nagito pointed a hook and Kokichi, menacingly. “You said that crap last time, and the time before that. We want the money now or else,” 

Kokichi rolled his eyes, resting his head on his arms. “Hajime, please put your husband back on his leash, his voice is so annoying,” 

Shuichi felt the urge to pull out his journal and document this but now was most definitely not the time. Nagito, Hajime, and their crew definitely did not follow the same rules that Kokichi did when it came to killing. 

“Don’t disrespect our captains!” Shuichi recognized the pink-haired man as Kazuichi Souda, an ex-ship builder from a neighboring port. Kazuichi made a move towards Kokichi, but Gonta moved faster, standing in front of Kokichi and blocking the pink-haired man’s path. 

“Gonta don’t think Souda should do that,” the tall man narrowed his eyes, his usual happy persona disappearing. All pirates drew their swords, pointing them at each other. Shuichi and Maki drew theirs as well, ready to defend themselves. 

“Woah woah woah,” Cosette stepped in the no man’s land between the two crews, her eyes sharp and threatening. “I’m going to have to ask you to take this disagreement outside,” She then reached into her apron, pulling out two pistols and pointed one at each of the groups. 

“Or I won’t hesitate to blow each and every one of your brains out,” Nagito and Hajime exchanged a look, motioning to their crew to exit through the door. They obliged, filling out onto the street beyond. Shuichi made to follow, but Cosette placed a hand on his chest. 

“Head out the back into the alleyway. It will give you all a minute head start,” Cosette whispered to the crew, gesturing a pistol to the door in the back. “Good luck on your journey,” 

“Cosette, you are a goddess!” Kokichi kissed the girl on the cheek, before grabbing Shuichi and Maki and heading to the back door, the crew following. Gonta waved to the tiny Kirumi behind the bar, the braid she had done falling lovingly over his shoulder. 

The crew of The Dice ran out the back entrance, slinking between the alleyways and buildings, trying to get to the port as fast as they could. Shuichi had his sword still drawn, glancing over his shoulder to see if the pirates were following them. They popped out on a busy street, people crowding up a majority of the road. 

“If we get split up, head straight for the Dice, no detours,” Kokichi commanded, leading the charge through the people. Shuichi followed the man, looking at the bouncing of the feather on his head for guidance. 

“I found them!” Shuichi turned his head, seeing Gundham pointing his finger towards the group from an alleyway connecting to the road. Shuichi felt his breath pick up as he tried to weave through the people faster, gripping his sword even tighter. He suddenly got nudged out of the flow of people, dropping out somewhere in an alley, alone. 

“Shit,” he grumbled, looking around for anyone in the crew. He turned back to the crowd, searching for Kokichi’s feathered hat. 

“Shuichi!” Shuichi turned and was suddenly pushed to the side, banging against the building from the force and falling on the ground. He glanced over, seeing Kokichi locking swords with Nagito, the latter seemingly having snuck up behind Shuichi. The two pirates pushed away from each other, before bringing their swords to meet in a loud clang. 

Shuichi looked to the side, seeing Hajime pop out from the crowd, and run towards the two pirates locked in a battle. Shuichi sprung into action, sticking his leg out and tripping the brunette. Hajime stumbled but managed to roll and collect himself. Shuichi stood up, pointing his sword at Hajime. 

“Who the hell are you?” Hajime growled, raising his sword toward Shuichi. The raven-haired boy stepped forward, raising his sword to meet Hajime’s. 

“A friend of Kokichi,” Shuichi swung down, but Hajime blocked the swing again, pushing back against Shuichi. Shuichi backed up, trying to absorb the pressure. He glanced over, seeing Kokichi and Nagito still fighting. 

Shuichi loosened his grip a little, allowing Hajime to draw closer and think he had the upper hand. Shuichi dropped his shoulder, allowing Hajime to stumble forward and giving Shuichi the opportunity to elbow Hajime in the back of the neck. The brunette fell forward, slamming into the ground. He praised Maki’s training at that moment. 

Shuichi glanced over at Kokichi, seeing the smaller man’s sword get blocked by Nagito’s hooked hand. Shuichi panicked as Nagito raised his sword to bring a killing blow to Kokichi. 

“Kokichi!” The man in question glanced over, seeing Shuichi throwing him his sword. The captain caught it, blocking Nagito’s oncoming attack just in time. 

Shuichi turned, seeing Hajime groaning on the ground. He grabbed a plank of wood discarded on the ground, whacking the fallen captain over the head and knocking him out completely. 

“Shuichi!” Maki had appeared from the crowd, glancing between her friend and Kokichi, who was now dual-wielding swords in his hands. Maki ran forward, tackling Nagito on the ground, making him drop his sword in the process. Shuichi rushed over and kicked it away before Nagito could grab it. 

Maki lifted up Nagito by the collar, pinching him on a pressure point where his shoulders connected with his neck. Nagito instantly closed his eyes, his body going limp under Maki’s arms. 

“Is everyone alright?” Keebo and Miu entered the scene, looking between the five people in the alleyway. 

“Yeah, we’re alright,” Kokichi extended a hand with Shuichi’s sword in it. Shuichi smiled slightly, reaching out to grab it. Their fingers brushed for a second, sending a shiver down Shuichi’s back. “Maki and Shuichi saved my ass,” 

“Where’s the rest of the Nagito and Hajime’s crew?” Shuichi asked, returning the sword to his belt. 

“Me and Keebo here managed to tie Chiaki and Mikan nice and tight against a post,” Miu grinned, her voice smug. 

“I saw Gonta and Tenko fighting with Gundham, but I’m pretty sure I saw Tenko knock him out as I ran by. They should be back at the ship by now,” Keebo added, his hands on his hips. 

“And Kaito?” Kokichi questioned, looking between the two. No one said anything. “Has no one seen Kaito?” 

“I’ll go find him,” Maki made her way towards the crowd, but Kokichi stopped her. 

“I’m coming with you,” the captain nodded. “You two, get Shuichi back to the ship. If we aren’t back in thirty minutes, leave without us,” 

“Wait, I want to come to,” Shuichi stepped forward, reaching for his sword. Kokichi shook his head. 

“No, I want you back on the ship,” Kokichi commanded, his voice sure and clear, his eyes meeting Shuichi’s. “Oh, and tie up those two maggots while you're at it,” With that, him and Maki disappeared into the street, on their search for Kaito. 

Shuichi sighed as they disappeared from view, before turning towards Keebo and Miu, who were dragging Nagito and Hajime so their bodies were back to back. Miu then reached into her shirt, pulling out a strand of rope. 

“What are you looking at, pervert?” Miu hissed at Shuichi. Shuichi looked away immediately, finding that the roof was suddenly very interesting. Keebo and Miu wrapped the rope around Nagito and Hajime, tying the two together. 

“Let’s get back to the ship,” Keebo murmured, motioning for Shuichi and Miu to follow him. Shuichi followed, but kept glancing back at the two as they headed towards the docks, hoping to see the others walking towards them from the crowd. 

“Stop worrying, I’m sure they’re fine,” Miu slapped Shuichi on the back, trying to motivate him to move faster. 

“Oh, I know Maki will be fine,” Shuichi breathed, crossing his arms over this chest as they walked down the docks. “I’m worried about Kaito… and the captain,” 

“Do not fret about Kokichi,” Keebo placed a reassuring hand on Shuichi’s shoulder. “I have seen the captain fight of three men the size of Gonta. He shall be fine,” 

“Kaito on the other hand…” Miu pursed her lips. “Sometimes I don’t know what that man agreed to in this life. He’s a damn good navigator, though,”

Shuichi panicked, glancing nervously back at the town. He hoped Kaito was fine, just lost in the crowd, or that Kokichi and Maki had found him. 

“Miu is just kidding,” Keebo hit the blonde in the shoulder, giving her a look. “Kaito is able to fend for himself,” 

Shuichi nodded, before following the two up the gangplank onto the decks of The Dice. Tenko and Gonta were already there, standing on deck with Ryoma. 

“Took you long enough!” Tenko exclaimed, before her face soured, not seeing the rest of the crew. “Where is the captain, Kaito, and Maki?”

“Maki and Kokichi went to find Kaito. He got separated in the crowd,” Keebo explained, walking over and sitting on a box near the others. “If they aren’t back in thirty, the captain said to invoke the Pirate’s Code. Leave without him,” 

Shuichi snapped his head up, eyes panicked. “I-I’m sure he was joking,” 

“Captain be serious about rules,” Gonta said, passing out loaves of bread to the crew that arrived. “We swore never to break them,” 

“Gonta’s right,” Ryoma blew some smoke out of his mouth, looking off in the distance towards the town, “But we should be ready for them to come back any minute. Hinata and his crew won’t stay tied up forever,” 

Everyone nodded in agreement, and went off to get ready to set sail. Shuichi bit his lip, feeling absolutely useless as he didn’t know what he should be doing. He walked over to the side of the ship, leaning on the railing and pulling out his journal. He jotted some notes down about his run-in with Hinata and his crew, sneaking occasional glances at the town. 

Time was going too fast for Shuichi’s liking, the thirty-minute window getting shorter and shorter. Ryoma appeared wordlessly next to Shuichi, looking down the dock. 

“Shuichi, we need to get going soon,” Ryoma muttered, snuffing out his cigarette on the railing. “It’s a direct order from the captain,” 

“W-Wait, can’t we give them five more minutes?” Shuichi felt his breath picking up. He couldn’t leave them all behind. “I’m sure it's almost here…”

“I can’t disobey a direct order-”

“Shuichi! Ryoma! I see them!” Keebo had climbed up on the crow’s nest, peering out on the two through his monocular. “And… Oh my Atua! Kaito!” 

Shuichi booked it down the gangplank to meet them, Ryoma close behind. Kokichi was leading the trio, looking panicked. Maki was behind him, carrying a limp and bloody Kaito in her arms. 

“It was a trap, we need to go, now!” Kokichi yelled, pushing the frozen Shuichi back up the gangplank. Maki followed, her face emotionless as she laid Kaito on the deck, kneeling over him. 

“Gonta! Get the gangplank up, now!” Kokichi ordered as he rushed to take the wheel. “Tenko and Keebo! Get the anchors up! Miu, teach Shuichi how to load a cannon shot, we’re going to have company!”

“Maki, what’s going on? What happened to Kaito?” Shuichi asked as the girl took a first aid kit from a passing Gonta and began to try and stop Kaito’s bleeding. 

“Kokichi thinks that Hinata and Komaeda were working with another crew, waiting to jump us in front of Cosette’s tavern,” Maki said as she shed Kaito’s jacket. “When we didn’t come out the front, they sought to separate us in the crowd. It seems Kaito was unfortunate enough to meet some of the other crew involved in whatever Kokichi has dragged us into. He managed to fight most of them off but was knocked out. Luckily, we got there just in time before they killed him,” 

Shuichi's eyes racked Kaito’s bruised body, his mind racing. “Maki, who was the other crew?” 

“Starboard bow! It's the Monokuma!” Shuichi looked over to where Keebo was indicating. In the pale moonlight, Shuichi could make out a flag, black and white with a red scar line on the black cloth. The colors of the Monokuma. 

“Shuichi! Come over here!” Miu yelled, gesturing over to where she was grabbing cannonballs. Shuichi took one last glance at Kaito, before running over to Miu. 

“Miu, why is the Monokuma-”

“We don’t have fucking time to play detective!” She spat, grabbing a chain shot from the pile. “Watch me load this, and then load the rest. Tenko and Ryoma are loading the ones below deck with Keebo, it’s up to you to help me and Gonta now that Kaito’s down for the count,” 

Shuichi felt his breathing increase. The look in Miu’s eyes was desperate, so Shuichi plucked up some courage and nodded. Miu quickly explained how he didn’t need to worry about black powder, just load the cannonball in, light the end, and fire. 

“Now get moving! We may have top-notch cannons, but the Monokuma’s got way more of ‘em,” Shuichi nodded at the girl, before hurrying away to load the rest of the cannons. 

“We’re approaching the Monokuma! Get ready for cannon fire!” Kokichi yelled from his position behind the wheel. The Monokuma was blocking the only exit from Tortuga, meaning that they had to sail by to get out. Kokichi had positioned The Dice to put as much distance as possible between the two ships. 

“Some of their crew is still on Tortuga, and they can't leave without them!” Kokichi continued. “We only need to get past The Monokuma, so don’t slack off!” 

Shuichi finished loading his last canon, looking at Tenko for the signal to fire the shot. Tenko had her hand up next to her face, balled in a fist, staring intently at the Monokuma as it loomed closer. 

“Fire!” Tenko yelled, and Shuichi lit a match, lighting up canon after canon. The Dice shook from the incoming and outgoing cannon fire, making Shuichi grab onto the rails for support. “Reload! Reload, Shuichi!”

Shuichi collected himself, lugging the cannonballs over and placing them in the shaft of the canon. Smoke filled his lungs as more cannon fire came from The Monokuma. 

“Fire!” Tenko yelled again, and Shuichi rushed to fire the cannons once more. The Dice passed the Monokuma fully, and the crew got to work moving the sails to get the wind in their favor and away from the deadly ship. Shuichi looked around, when a glint of silver got his eye on the opposite rail. 

He ran over, looking at the object. It was a hook. He looked over the railing and felt his breath catch in his throat. Staring up at him was a girl with long, brown hair tied into braids, scissors between her lips, scaling the side of The Dice. Below her was another girl with long black hair and a pale complexion. Shuichi acted fast, grabbing his sword and severing the rope attached to his hook. 

The brunette screamed as she fell backward, landing with a thud on the dingy beneath her. The scream caught the attention of Tenko, who ran over and peered over the side. 

“Great. Just great,” Tenko groaned, looking around on the deck for something. She reached down, picking up a cannonball and holding it over the edge. 

“What are you doing?” Shuichi looked between the cannonball and the girl. Tenko smirked and dropped the cannonball. It fell down towards the ocean and straight through the dingy, leaving a big hole in the two girl’s boat. 

Shuichi nodded his head, impressed. He looked back at the two girls who were cursing at them from the water, recognizing them as Toko and Celestia, two members of The Monokuma. Shuichi felt his breathing stabilize, something he had totally forgotten had picked up. 

“Ryoma, take the wheel,” Kokichi rushed down from his spot, running past Shuichi and kneeling next to Maki, who was wrapping Kaito’s arm in a makeshift sling with a part of her shirt she ripped off. Shuichi followed, looking down at Kaito, worried about the navigator’s wounds. 

“Maki, is he going to be ok?” Kokichi asked, looking up at the girl, who was now covered in blood. 

“I think so. I don’t see any internal damage, he might have a slight concussion. The sling is only a precaution because I saw a bruise forming on his shoulder,” Maki said, wiping her hands on her pants. 

Kokichi nodded, standing up and taking off his hat. Shuichi watched him pace around, running a hand through his hair. 

“DAMN IT!” Kokichi yelled, throwing his hat down on the deck. Shuichi jumped at the sudden outburst from the small captain. 

Shuichi stood up, walking over to the shorter man. “Kokichi, it’s gonna be ok, we made it out alive, Kaito’s gonna be ok its-”

“Shut up, Shuichi!” Kokichi spat, shooting daggers into the man. “The Monokuma and The Jabberwock are teaming up. By now, they know we’re going for the Vault. Cosette is strong, but they most tortured it out of her by now,” Kokichi balled his hands into fists. 

“Pirate life isn’t so magically when your first mate looks like he’s on the brink of death, your ship has a freaking hole in her side, and two of the most powerful pirate crews are on your ass,” Kokichi shoved his hat on his head, and shoved past Shuichi. 

“Set course for Santo Pollo. I’m heading to my cabin,” Kokichi yelled, storming towards the door. 

“Kokichi, wait-” Shuichi didn’t finish his sentence, as Kokichi slammed the door shut behind him, making the deck go silent. Everyone was staring at where the captain had just been, the silence falling on them like fog. 

“I’m going to fix the hole below deck,” Miu broke the silence, slinking away down below, her toolbox in hand. Keebo followed after her quickly. Maki excused herself, picking up Kaito in her arms and taking him below deck to the barracks. Everyone else milled about, silently going about their daily work. 

Shuichi stared at the cabin door, as if he was hoping that Kokichi would saunter right back out, his cheery demeanor miraculously returning. But he didn’t. Shuichi lowered his head, shuffling his feet over to the stairs that led to the bow of the ship. He sat down, leaning his head against the wall of his ship, closing his eyes, and feeling the wind on his face. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What do you mean, they got away?” Junko Enoshima balled her fists as she looked down at Nagito Komaeda and Hajime Hinata. “I gave you one job. I said to draw them out of a tavern and shoot them on sight,”

“Junko, it wasn’t our fault,” Hajime spat, crossing his arms and glaring up at the girl behind the wheel. “It was Cosette, she let them out the back door. We chased them, but we all got separated in the crowd and they got the upper hand,” 

“You mean to tell me that your crew and some of mine COMBINED managed to let them escape. You and Nagito even had Kokichi cornered and you still couldn’t kill him,” 

“Kokichi wasn’t alone,” Nagito pipped in as he readjusted his hooked hand. “The governor’s son from Port Morsey was with him. And his aid,” 

Junko straightened up. That was an unexpected development. Why was the governor’s son on The Dice?

“Still, that shouldn’t be an excuse to let them escape,” Junko’s first mate and sister, Mukuro piped in. 

“This is coming from the girl who thought it was a good idea to send Celeste and Toko to their ship together,” Junko growled, pointing a sharp finger at her sister. “We’ll discuss that further later. 

A snicker from behind Junko made her turn. “And you,” Junko stomped over to Tsumugi, the blue-haired girl immediately straightened up. “I put you in charge of this ship. You are just as much at fault for this failure as Mukuro,” 

Junko pinched the bridge of her nose, turning back around to face Nagito and Hinata. “I told you if you failed me, there would be consequences, did I not?” 

Hinata and Nagito glanced at each other, worry painted on their faces. Junko clapped her hands together, and a clang was heard on deck. Everyone turned, seeing Toko lowering the plank over the side of the ship. Sayaka and Korekiyo appeared, shoving a bound and gagged Chiaki on the plank. 

“W-Wait, Junko, I’m sure we can work something out again,” Hajime stammered, looking between the bound girl and Junko. 

“You’re out of bargaining chips, Hajime,” Junko stepped closer, placing her hands on her hips, leaning in close to Nagito and Hajime. “I own you now,” She gave Korekiyo a nod, and he gave Chiaki a push. The girl let out a muffled scream as she wobbled, falling off the plank and into the ocean below. Nagito let out a blood-curdling scream, and Hajime remained frozen, eyes glued on where the girl had been. 

“Don’t fail me again,” Junko turned away from the two pirates, gripping the wheel in her two hands. 

“All hands, prepare to set sail!” Mukuro yelled out, before turning to Junko. “Where are we heading?”

Junko’s face broke out into a wicked grin. “Port Morsey. We have a date with Governor Saihara,”


	7. Chapter 7

Shuichi stared nervously at the door leading into Kokichi’s quarters, the plate of food Gonta had given him shaking in his hands. How he had gotten roped into trying to coax the captain out of his room, he didn’t know. He felt that Miu was definitely behind it by the way she kept glancing up from the hull to see if he had gone inside yet. 

Kaito had woken up mid-day yesterday, although his mind was fuzzy, he was able to stand and even eat some food. Maki had stayed by his side, making sure he didn’t overdo anything and that his wounds didn’t open up again. Everyone was glad the navigator was awake and seemed to have no lasting damage. This morning, Kaito had felt strong enough to get behind the wheel for a bit, giving Ryoma a much-needed break. 

Kokichi hadn’t left his room since they had their run-in with the Monokuma. It worried Shuichi, but the others assured him that Kokichi got like that sometimes, especially when Junko and her crew were concerned. Shuichi could tell that there was some history between the two captains but felt that it wasn’t his place to press. So, here he stood, staring at the cabin door, trying to build up the courage to knock. 

“K-Kokichi?” Shuichi brought his hand up to the door, knocking lightly. “I brought you some food,” No answer was heard beyond the door. 

Shuichi bit his lip, knocking one more time. “Can I please come in? I promise I won’t bombard you with questions, I just want to make sure you’re ok,” Again, Kokichi did not answer. Shuichi began to grow frustrated, and he knocked harder. 

“Kokichi, if you don’t open this door, I’ll get Gonta to break it down,” Shuchi yelled, rattling the doorknob. Shuichi groaned, banging harder on the door. “Kokichi, please-”

The door opened, and a disheveled Kokichi stood there, his eyes red and his face tear-stained. He had shed his white jacket and hat, and his shirt was rolled up to his elbows. Shuichi immediately felt his heart stop at the sight. 

“Come in,” Kokichi sniffed, moving to the side so Shuichi could enter. The taller boy entered, looking around at the cabin. 

It was smaller than Shuichi had imagined, but room. A large window peered out to the ocean behind them, light pouring in. Purple curtains framed the windows, which could block out the sun. On the right side was a bed tucked away in the corner, a queen bed that also had curtains that could hide it. The middle of the room at a table full of charts and maps, with a purple rug with golden fringe bordering it. The rest of the walls were lined with books, but it didn’t look like Kokichi had touched them. A small white loveseat was situated in the corner. 

Shuichi walked further into the cabin, placing the food on the table in the middle of the room. “This is a very nice cabin,” He ran his hand on the chair near the table, the cool leather feeling nice under his hand. 

“Thanks,” Kokichi smiled, sitting down at the chair across from Shuichi and moving the plate close to him. He looked so small in the chair and without his white coat like you could put him in your pocket and carry him around. 

“Kaito woke up yesterday,” Shuichi broke the silence, watching Kokichi eat his food from his spot. “Maki says his arm and collarbone are fine. He’s actually up at the helm right now. Ryoma has been sailing all day and night,” 

“That’s good,” Kokichi mumbled, taking a bite of the apple on his plate. “I’ll have to thank Maki and Ryoma for there help,” 

Shuichi placed his hands on a ball on the table, tapping his foot on the floor. He wasn’t sure how to comfort the captain. Kokichi was still a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in another mystery. He had so many questions he wanted to ask but now was not the time. 

“Speaking of thanks,” Kokichi pushed his plate away, leaning back in his chair. “I never thanked you for saving my life. Twice,” 

Shuichi looked up, but Kokichi wasn’t meeting his eyes. “I wouldn’t have been able to save yours if you hadn’t saved mine first,” 

Kokichi smiled, straightening up in his chair. “I can see you have a million questions racing through your pretty head. You aren’t very good at hiding your curiosity,” 

“What can I say, you fascinate me,” Shuichi felt his face heating up at Kokichi’s words and his own confidence. “But those can wait. Right now, I’m just here to make sure you eat and lend an ear if you need one,” 

Kokichi placed his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. Shuichi could see the conflict going on in the captain's eyes. "I hate Junko Enoshima, with a burning passion,” he gritted his teeth into an unnatural smile. “She is the embodiment of everything I hate about certain aspects of my line of work. She has no regard for human life, she only is in it for the money, the power,” 

Kokichi stood up from his chair, his feet taking him to the window facing the ocean. “Junko has taken too many things me and my crew, and every time we think maybe we finally got something she doesn’t have, it’s taken away from us,” 

“What? What did she take from you that made you hate her?” Shuichi blurted out, then immediately covered up his mouth, eyes wide. Kokichi had stood still, unmoving at Shuichi’s words. “I-I am so sorry, that was so rude, I’ll leave,” Shuichi stood up, heading toward the door. 

“My crew,” Kokichi said, his voice barely audible. Shuichi stopped in his tracks, looking at Kokichi in confusion. “Junko killed my crew,” 

“What do you mean? Your crew’s right outside,” Shuichi walked over, standing next to Kokichi. 

“I mean my first ever crew,” Kokichi walked over to the shelves with books, pulling out a scroll from the shelves. He walked over to the table, Shuichi following him, and unfurled to scroll. It was an oil painting, with a younger Kokichi and six other teens, Junko, and her sister Mukuro flanking his side. They were all wearing the same uniform, all not smiling. 

“We never got to sail the sea together, but I consider them my first crew. We called ourselves DICE,” Kokichi sighed, his hand trailing over the painting. “We all grew up in the same orphanage in Tortuga and wanted to escape our wretched lives. So when we all turned fourteen, we decided to run away with some money we had stolen and book passage over to another island,” 

Kokichi turned his head, looking up at Shuichi. “But Junko and Mukuro ended up betraying us, telling people we had stolen from them. My crew was immediately sent to the gallows without trial, but I wasn’t at the orphanage at the time, so I wasn’t caught. But I saw it. I saw them getting marched up to the platform, the ropes tied around their necks, then their lifeless bodies,”

Kokichi rolled up the picture, returning it to its spot on the shelf. “Junko has taken something from every one of the current crew on but I swear, I swear as long as my crew, Maki, and you are on this vessel, I will protect you all, no matter the cost,”

Shuichi smiled slightly, glancing out at the sea beyond. It made sense, Kokichi not wanting his crew to suffer the same fate as the first one. But with that feeling, came with it a wave of anger for Junko and what she had done to the crew of The Dice, and anger can be a dangerous thing. 

“Ah, all this emotion is ruining my reputation,” Kokichi laughed, turning from the shelves and looking at Shuichi. “You’re making me go soft, Shumai!”

Shuichi laughed slightly at the name. “Shumai?” 

“It’s my nickname for you!” Kokichi grinned, placing his hands behind his head. “Do you not like it? I thought since Kaito calls Maki ‘Maki Roll’, I should give you one!” 

Shuichi smiled, crossing his hands over his chest. “I guess I should be flattered. Thank you,” Kokichi gave a small bow, before going over to his door and opening it wide. 

“Now, get out of my cabin,” Kokichi smiled, tilting his head to the side. “I’m all tuckered out after crying and need a nap,” 

Shuichi chuckled, making his way over to the door. He gave a curt nod to Kokichi, exiting the room. He gave one last glance at the cabin, the captain waving at him before slamming the door in his face. Shuichi pulled out his journal eagerly, sitting down on the stairs near the bear and preparing to write all he had learned.

Something stopped him, however. He looked over at the cabin door, reflecting on what had just happened there. Kokichi had just confessed many personal things, something Shuichi could tell her didn’t do often. He shouldn’t be writing stuff like that in his journal. Shuichi closed his journal and placed it back under his vest. Some things were too important to be written on paper. 

“Shuichi! Hey!” the boy looked up, seeing Kaito waving at him eagerly from behind the wheel, Maki scolding him for moving his arm too quickly. Shuichi stood up and walked across the deck, stepping up the stairs and approaching Kaito and Maki. 

“How’s the captain?” Kaito asked, keeping one hand firmly on the wheel. “Maki said he was getting all upset over the evens in Tortuga,” 

“He seems to be back to his normal self,” Shuichi shrugged, heading over to sit on the ledge near the wheel. “Said something about taking a nap, and kicked me out,”

Kaito snorted, smiling slightly at the cabin door. “Yeah, he’s going to be fine,” 

“Kaito, why don’t you let Shuichi take the wheel. You’ve been standing for hours,” Maki stepped forward, looking up at the navigator. Shuichi got down from the ledge, placing a hand on a free knob. 

“Aw, Maki Roll is worried about me?” Kaito laughed, letting go of the wheel while stepping away so Shuichi could take control. “Aren’t ninjas supposed to not form attachments?”

“I’m a bodyguard,” Maki rolled her eyes, annoyance dripping in her voice. “Not a ninja. I can make attachments if I want to. But I haven’t and won’t,” 

Kaito blew a raspberry, going to sit on the ledge Shuichi had been sitting on. “How long have you known each other?” 

Maki and Shuichi looked at each other, and Shuichi got the nod of approval to tell Kaito. It wasn’t that Maki didn’t want Kaito to know, Shuichi just wanted to make sure she was comfortable with Kaito knowing. Maki was very secretive. 

“Maki was assigned as my aid and bodyguard when I was seven and heading over with my uncle to Port Morsey, and she’s been with me ever since,” Shuichi explained, changing his grip on the wheel. “And I can’t imagine another bodyguard,” 

Maki gave a small smile, a rare sight for the girl, glancing over at Kaito. “How long have you been part of the crew, Kaito?”

“Hmm…” Kaito counted some numbers on his fingers, his face contorted in confusion. “I think like, three years? Kokichi saved my ass from going to jail,” Kaito adjusted himself on the ledge, pulling his coat over his shoulder. “I was an apprentice to a navigator and astronomer of a small fishing ship, until one night, Junko and her crew came in his shop, demanding he hand over his star charts. He refused, and they killed him. And guess who was the scapegoat?”

Kaito raised two thumbs and pointed at his face. Shuichi and Maki both frowned something that was now becoming common wherever Junko was concerned. 

“Oh, but don’t be sorry for me, really!” Kaito smiled, patting Shuichi’s shoulder. “I don’t like to dwell on the past. You just gotta keep looking to the future!” The navigator looked at Maki, who still had a sour expression on her face. 

The three remained at the helm in silence, a sadness hanging in the air from the past few days' events. The sky began to shift from clear blue to dark orange, the sun setting in the sea beyond. It was a truly beautiful sight. Shuichi reveled in the fact he could see the sunset up close, it’s rays much more beautiful as opposed to the view from his room. 

“Alright, who died?” Shuichi moved his gaze from the sunset to Kokichi, who was skipping up the steps towards him. He was back to wearing the large feather hat and his white tattered jacket, the usual spring in his step having returned. 

“What?” 

Kokichi placed his hands on his hips, looking between the three teens. “You all look like someone died. No frowns aboard this vessel!”

“Says the person who was locked in his cabin all day yesterday,” Maki mumbled, narrowing her eyes at the captain. Koichi gasped, grabbing his chest like he had been shot. 

“Miss Maki you wound me! What did I do to deserve such harsh words!” Kokichi frowned, his hand still clasped to his chest. 

“It’s my fault, my story made them sad,” Kaito confessed, looking over at his captain. "I didn't intend it to," 

“Well, Kaito, make them un-sad!” Kokichi exclaimed, pushing Shuichi away from the wheel and taking control of the ship. “Show them your stupid stars or something. They’re seriously bumming me out!” 

“Aye aye, Captain!” Kaito grinned, saluting Kokichi. He then grabbed Maki and Shuichi’s hands, pulling them to the center of the deck. Kaito sat down, the other two following suit. 

“Lay down on the deck,” Kaito instructed, laying down on the cold wood. Shuichi followed suit, looking up at the sky above. The sun had now gone down enough so that the stars were now appearing in the sky. 

“Look up straight above,” Kaito pointed a finger in the air. “That’s the Big Dipper. If you follow straight down from the tip of the handle, you can see Virgo. Oh, and those three big bright ones, that’s Orion’s belt,” 

“You can use the stars to figure out where we are on the ocean?” Maki asked, her voice soft as they stared up into the sky. 

“Yeah,” Kaito sighed, a smile on his face. “Isn’t it amazing? The stars, I mean. Stars are amazing. I’ve always loved them since I was a kid. Whenever I was sad or lonely, my mom would always tell me not to cry, cause the stars would always be there to keep me company. Someday, I want to go up there and see them up close,”

“That’s a pretty big dream, Kaito,” Shuichi mumbled, his eyes feeling heavy as the combination of the ship rocking and cool breeze lulling him to sleep. 

“Sounds damn near impossible,” Maki yawned, the girl obviously very sleepy as well. 

"The impossible is possible. All you have to do is make it so,” Kaito mused, his eyes reflecting the sky above. 

Shuichi yawned, his eyes fluttering shut as Kaito continued to point out more stars, the sound of his voice soothing Shuichi to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have rewritten this chapter three times, and now I think I am finally happy with it. I know it's not as exciting as the last chapter, but I wanted to do some relationship building with Kokichi and Shuichi, and my favorite trio. I hope I did Kaito's optimism justice, as I think many of his ideas are something people should live by. 
> 
> I hope everyone is having an amazing day! All the comments you guys leave makes me smile, so thank you once again. If I don't respond to them, I still know I read and appreciate them. 
> 
> Now I'm going to play some DR 2. I hope to get another chapter out tomorrow, but online classes are becoming more frequent and a big pain in the butt. 
> 
> :)


	8. Chapter 8

Île du Souffle de la Mort was a small island a few miles off the coast of Santo Pollo. It wasn’t that much of an issue, except the Spanish Armada wouldn’t allow people entering Santo Pollo’s bay weigh anchor anywhere but the Santo Pollo port. Spain desperately needed money, so getting as many ships to dock and pay the fee was something their government felt was necessary. 

The more difficult was finding someone who would sail them over to Île du Souffle de la Mort. Many people in Santo Pollo feared the witch that lived there, scared that she would cast a spell on their homes and town. Luckily for The Dice, Miu had grown up in Santo Pollo and knew someone who, with persuasion, would take them across the way to the island. 

“Keebo! Lower the colors! Tenko, Gonta! Hide the contraband in the secret compartments!” Kokichi gave out orders as they drew closer to the Spanish Blockade surrounding Santo Pollo. 

“Why do we have to lower the colors?” Shuichi asked from his spot next to Kokichi at the helm. “And the contraband?”

“Shuichi, what happens to pirates when they dock at Port Morsey?” Kokichi turned his head, raising an eyebrow at the raven-haired boy. 

“Uh, they don’t really dock at our ports,” 

“Exactly,” Kokichi turned his gaze back to the ships ahead. “If they did, it’s a one-way ticket to the gallows. By removing our colors and hiding contraband, we are hiding our identity as pirates. We don’t need any more unnecessary scuffles,” 

Shuichi nodded in understanding, glancing up as Keebo removed the black and white checkered flag from the mast. They drew closer to the blockade, sailing by slowly and docking at the port. Miu and Tenko lowered the anchor, while everyone else readied to lower the gangplank. 

“Captain, the dock officers are here for an inspection,” Kaito called over from the gangplank. Kokichi let out a small groan, moving from behind the wheel and down the stairs, Shuichi following behind him. 

Two Spanish Officers were making their way up the gangplank, a navy blue jacket with red trim. They stood up at attention, similar to how the English guards at Port Morsey would do. A third man boarded the ship, wearing the same uniform but with a large navy hat and feather, similar to Kokichi except for much cleaner. He must be the dockmaster. 

“Hello, Señor. Are you the captain of this vessel? The dockmaster asked, walking over to Kokichi with a leather notebook and a satchel Shuichi guessed was for collecting money. 

“Yes I am,” Kokichi grinned, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a few shillings. “We are but a humble fishing vessel, coming into your port to visit a friend,” 

The dockmaster eyed the crew suspiciously. “You are all fishermen? What was your last Port of business?”

“Port Morsey,” Kokichi said nonchalantly. That made the dockmaster interested, placing his hands on his hips. 

“Port Morsey? Wasn’t that just attacked by pirates?” the dockmaster asked, placing the shillings in his bag. 

Kokichi cleared his throat, before smiling up at the dockmaster. “It was,? How unfortunate. We left before they attacked,” 

“The governor’s nephew was kidnapped,” the dockmaster turned to look at Shuichi, who felt his breath pick up under the suspicious gaze. “What’s your name, boy? Where do you hail from?” 

“My name?” Shuichi gulped, his hands getting clammy. “My name is... Rantaro Amami. I’m from… England,” He spat out the first name that came to his mind, being the green-haired guard’s. 

The dockmaster nodded slowly, opening his journal. “What is the name of the citizen you are visiting?” 

Kokichi turned to Miu, who was playing with her hair. The blonde looked up, meeting the captain's gaze as he gestured over to the dockmaster. “Oh! It’s Hiyoko Saionji,” 

The dockmaster nodded, writing the name down and snapping shut his journal. He gave Kokichi a bow, and turned around, exiting the ship with his two guards in tow. The entire crew of The Dice all let out a collective breath, glancing at each other in relief. 

“I do not like how that man was eyeing us,” Keebo noted, adjusting his jacket collar. “I think it would be wise if one of us stayed back on the ship,” 

“Are you volunteering?” Kokichi asked, looking over at the man. “We don’t have time to draw straws,” 

“I do not mind staying back. I shall watch the ship and make sure no one enters without my consent,” 

Kokichi gave the lookout a pat on the back before taking a step down the gangplank. The crew followed Miu walking in pace with Kokichi as she knew the direction of Hiyoko’s house. Shuichi looked up at Santo Pollo, the differences between Port Morsey and this town evident from the dusty roads and clay houses. 

They entered the main road of the town, a dusty path leading down towards a large church. Miu motioned for them to follow her, and they headed down the street. Vendors were calling out to passersby, trying to sell their latest product of trinkets. 

“This place is definitely different than back home,” Maki noted from next to Shuichi. “Lots more open vendors than storefronts,” 

“Shuichi, look,” Kaito mumbled, pointing over to a sign posted on a notice wall. It was a missing poster with a rough sketch of his own face staring back at him. Shuichi walked over, ripping the sign off the wall and inspecting it closer.

It read: Missing, Shuichi Saihara, nephew of the governor of Port Morsey. The reward for any information leading to his safe return home can be negotiated. 

Shuichi ripped the paper in his hand, stuffing it inside his pocket. “I don’t want my uncle to find me, not yet,” He mumbled, looking up at Kaito and Maki. 

“It’s best you keep your head down, then. You too, Maki,” Kaito instructed. The two nodded, looking down the road, the crew some distance away. 

“You three! Hurry up!” Kokichi yelled, jumping up and down. “We haven’t got all day! I want to make it over to Île du Souffle de la Mort before noon!” 

The three ran down the street, catching up to the crew. Kokichi wrapped his arm through Shuichi’s once again and pulled him along. 

“Don’t leave my side,” the captain instructed. “Can’t let you and the ring out of my sight,” Shuichi smiled and nodded, falling in step with Kokichi. 

They continued on, Miu leading them down a path on the side of the church. The entered another street, this one much quieter than the last, only a few people sitting in rocking chairs of dusting the front stoop. 

“Welcome to the shit hole,” Miu grumbled, stopping them before they continued on. “But the residents here call it Callejón de Tierra. Dirt Alley. Follow me, Hiyoko’s house is down here,” 

The blonde walked down the road, the crew trailing behind her. She approached a clay house with dull orange trim and broken windows, covered up terribly by boards. Miu knocked three times on the door, the wood rattling under her fist. 

“Hiyoko, open up you whore, it’s me!” Miu yelled. A crash as heard inside and a few curse words as footsteps drew nearer. 

“I’m coming, you bitch!” A woman’s voice answered. The door swung open, revealing a short blonde woman wearing a white puffy short-sleeved shirt with a flower pattern on the chest. The shirt was tattered and dull, but the color revealed it was once a beautiful bright pink with orange lace. The thing that caught Shuichi’s attention most was the wooden cane in the woman's hand and a bandage around her eyes. Hiyoko was blind. 

Miu did not seem surprised by this. She just walked forward and embraced the shorter women in a hug. “How are you doing, Hiyoko?” 

“Same as always,” the other girl responded, letting go of Miu. “Who’d you bring with you this time? They all smell terrible,” 

Hiyoko’s other senses must be increased due to her lost sight if she could smell them from her spot near the door. 

“Miu, you imbecile, how’s a blind girl gonna take us over to the island?” Kokichi whacked the blonde in the back of the head. 

“Hey, pig breath,” Hiyoko spat, turning to where Kokichi’s voice was. “I may be blind, but I can still navigate these waters. You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, ya know?” 

“Kokichi, you should apologize for insulting a lady!” Tenko scolded, her eyes narrowing at the captain. 

“I’ll apologize when we safely get over to Île du Souffle de la Mort,” Kokichi grumbled, his cheeks puffing out. Shuichi rolled his eyes at the captain, his arm, however, still looped through the others. 

“Hiyoko, this is the pirate crew I joined a few years back, remember? Kokichi saved me from Junko?” Miu turned her gaze back to the small blonde. 

“Oh,” Hiyoko nodded, a memory coming back to her. “He was with the guy who dressed like an officer you thought was really hot?” 

Miu squeaked, her face going red. “H-He’s back on the t-the boat right now, but yeah, them,” 

Hiyoko snickered, her hand going up to her mouth. “Well, are you going to introduce these other losers?” 

Miu sighed, and began the introductions, starting with Kokichi and ending with Ryoma. Maki and Shuichi were also introduced as honorary members of the crew. 

“Shuichi Saihara? As in the governor of Port Morsey's nephew, Shuichi Saihara?” Hiyoko asked, her face turning to the general direction where Shuichi was standing. “You’ve got this whole town buzzing! But I’m guessing… if you’re willingly hanging out with Miu and pirates… you’re trying to keep your head down, no?” 

“Y-Yes ma’am, I am,” Shuichi gave a small nod, his free hand going to his pockets. Kokichi tightened his grip on the man’s other arm. “I am here with the crew, not against my will. Sorta,” 

“Well, I won’t tell. I’m not a snitch,” Hiyoko turned to close her door, the frame rattling as it slammed shut. “So, you need transport to… Île du Souffle de la Mort? Isla Aliento de la Muerte, as it’s known here,” 

“Think you can take us?” Miu asked. Hiyoko moved her head from side to side, tapping her chin. 

“Mmm… yeah, I can. I do owe you, Miu” Hiyoko agreed. She stepped forward, moving her cane out in front so she could feel as she walked. “Follow me, my boats are down the road,” 

The crew followed her down the path towards a small beach where two boats lay tied in the posts in the sand. Hiyoko and Miu moved forward to untie them, then string them together so that the boats were tied together. 

“I’ll take half in my boat, Miu can take the rest in the second,” Hiyoko pointed out to the right, towards a tiny island off the coast, maybe a mile or two away from their current position. “We head there, to Isla Aliento de la Muerte. I’ll drop you off at the shore and stay with the boats. Once we get on the island, you have five hours to talk to the witch and get out. The church is serving dinner at six and I want to be back in time,” 

The crew nodded, splitting into two groups. Shuichi slithered out of Kokichi’s grasp, following Maki and Kaito towards Miu’s boat much to Kokichi’s dismay. He didn’t make a fuss, however, and followed Gonta, Tenko, and Ryoma to Hiyoko’s boat. 

Shuichi stepped into the boat, sitting down next to Miu as Kaito and Maki pushed the boat off of the shore and into the water, Gonta doing the same to his boat. Maki and Kaito climbed in, taking the seats across from Miu and Shuchi. Miu and Shuichi took the oars in hand, placing them in the water and beginning to row toward the island. 

“Miu, how do you know Hiyoko?” Shuichi asked, looking over at the girl next to him. 

Miu snorted, her rowing pace picking up slightly. “Why, going to write it down in your perverted journal?” 

“Not unless you give me permission to,” Shuichi replied, trying to match her cadence. “Personal information doesn’t belong in my journal, I realize that now,” 

Miu gave him a look, eyeing him up and down. Shuichi could tell that Miu had some walls built around her, which explained why she had such extra reactions with everything. 

“I grew up here in Santo Pollo. Actually, in the house just a few roads over from Hiyoko’s,” Miu slowed her rhythm, her strokes became longer. “This place used to be even more of a shit hole before the Spanish Armada came in. It wasn’t the safest place. Me and Hiyoko had to work to make money for our families. We both worked at the shipyard. One day, Junko and her crew came into port, their ship badly damaged from a sea battle. They demanded we fix it for free. When Hiyoko refused, they sliced her face. That’s why she’s blind,”

Shuichi glanced over at Hiyoko who was arguing with Kokichi. So she had been hurt by Junko too. Did the pirate's reign of terror ever end? 

“I agreed to help Junko, so she didn’t hurt Hiyoko more,” Miu continued, glancing over at her friend across the way. “Luckily, when I got over there, Kokichi and Keebo had come in on another ship and got into a fight with Junko. It was perfect timing. I helped them fight off Junko and her crew, Keebo even saved me from a blow to the back from Mukuro. Anyways, Junko and her crew fled. Kokichi told me I owed him for saving me, so he asked me to build The Dice for him. I agreed, and told them to come back in a few weeks and the ship would be done. When they came back, I joined there crew,”

“And Hiyoko? I know she’s alive, but how did she not die?” Maki asked her attention fully on the blonde girl. “The blood loss from a slice to the eye is a lot,” Next to her, Kaito gagged, trying to hold in his vomit. 

“Hiyoko’s one tough girl, but it was the nuns at the church who saved her,” Miu explained as she and Shuichi continued their rowing. “I felt bad for leaving her, but she didn’t want me to stay on the island when I had the chance to leave,” 

“So you were the second person to join Kokichi’s crew? After Keebo?” Shuichi passed his oar to Maki, as Miu passed hers to Kaito. The blonde nodded, leaning back in the boat. 

“Yeah. Kaito joined soon after. Then Gonta, Tenko, and Ryoma,” Miu counted the crew on her fingers. “Let me tell ya, those first few weeks when it was only me, Keebo, and Kokichi manning The Dice was rough. Like getting fucked in the back of a wagon rough,”

With Miu’s analogy, the mood was ruined. Shuichi and Kaito exchanged wide-eyed glances at the girl's words. However, Maki had begun to giggle. 

“What’s fucking funny?” Miu glared, raising her fist at Maki. 

“Your analogy… It was funny,” Maki smiled slightly. “So I am laughing,” 

Everyone on the tiny boat began laughing loudly, getting attention from the other boat near them. Kokichi leaned over the edge of his boat, yelling something they couldn’t hear. 

“What? Kokichi, we can’t hear you!” Shuichi yelled, shushing the other three laughing hyenas. 

“I said, you’re about to hit the shore, dumbasses!” the captain yelled, pointing behind Shuichi and Miu. Shuichi turned, just as the boat rode up onto the sand. It made them lurch, and Shuichi flew backward, landing on the boat floor with a thud. He groaned, looking up and seeing Maki and Kaito staring down at him. 

“Shuichi now is not the time to stargaze!” Kaito said, smiling dopily down at the man. They all began laughing again, wide smiles painted on their faces. 

“Hey, idiots, get out of the boat,” Hiyoko called over as Gonta helped her off the boat. Maki stuck out a hand, aiding Shuichi in standing up. Miu, Kaito, Maki, and Shuichi disembarked from the boat, stepping onto the sand. 

Shuichi looked around at the island, the dense foliage making it hard to see through the forest. The witch's hut must have been somewhere in the jungle, meaning they had a trek ahead of them. 

“Alright. You shits have five hours,” Hiyoko instructed as she sat down on the sand near the boats. “Follow the dirt path into the jungle. The witch is in a cave marked with ancient symbols. You can’t miss it,” 

“Thank you, Hiyoko,” Kokichi nodded, looking towards the jungle. 

“See ya soon,” Miu ruffled the girl's hair, Hiyoko in return hitting her in the stomach. 

Shuichi smiled at the interaction, before walking over to stand next to Kokichi. “Ready, captain?” 

Kokichi smirked, adjusting the hat on his head. “You bet,” With that, the crew took their first steps towards the jungle beyond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We stan Miu. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. If you haven't guessed, I named Santo Pollo after a Pirate101 area because I'm uncreative at names. I'm also excited for the next chapter, as the adventure is really picking up now. 
> 
> To all my artist friends: feel free to draw the characters as pirates using the descriptions earlier, or make your own! I'd love to see them, and maybe it could help with the boredom. 
> 
> Have a nice day!


	9. Chapter 9

The thick brush of the jungle was making it very difficult to march through the jungle. The path was narrow, so the group had to stumble through in a single file. Kokichi led the group, using his sword to cut through any low hanging leaves and branches in their way. The air was thick, making it difficult to breathe. Everyone was hot, tired, and miserable. All except Gonta. 

“Oh!” Gonta exclaimed, reaching his hand up and grabbing something from the branches. “This Mantis religiosa, Gonta love this bug!” The insect raised its arm, before running up Gonta’s arm, making the giant man laugh.

“Gonta, excited to meet all new insect friends,” Gonta let the mantis return to his hand, and he delicately placed it back on a branch. 

Shuichi smiled, wiping the sweat off his brow before returning his focus back on Kokichi, who was still cutting through the branches. 

“Are we sure there’s a witch on this island?” Ryoma was trailing behind Gonta, no cigarette in his mouth due to the heat and sweat clinging to them. “I don’t think anyone would want to live in this terrible island,”

“Except the bugs,” Kaito grumbled. A spider shot down from a branch, hanging in front of Kaito’s face. The navigator screamed, jumping five feet in the air before clinging onto Maki. 

The bodyguard stumbled backward at the force, bumping into Tenko, who managed to put her arms out and stop Maki from falling. “Get off me, you baby,” Maki hissed, throwing Kaito off of her. Shuichi glanced over his shoulder at the scene, smirking at Maki’s red face. 

“Let’s keep moving, people,” Kokichi had his hands on his hips, shaking his head disapprovingly at his crew. “We don’t want to delay our blind bimbo from getting her dinner,” 

Everyone grumbled but continued the trek deeper into the forest. Shuichi desperately wanted to shed his vest, the usually comfortable material becoming a nuisance on his body. He fidgeted with the vest, trying to find a comfortable way to wear it. 

“Kokichi, how much longer~” Tenko sighed, her bandana no longer on her head. 

“Yeah, my corset’s super uncomfortable right now. My girls need to breathe!” Miu was unbuttoning some of the buttons of her corset to try and circulate airflow. 

“You all should do what I and Maki are doing,” Kaito piped in. He and Maki had tied their jackets around their waists, rolling up their sleeves as well. 

“We would if we were walking jackets, you doodoo,” Tenko rolled her eyes, wiping her sweat with the bandana. 

“Guys, be quiet,” Shuichi turned around, walking backward for a few seconds. “We’ll get there when we get there, alright?” 

The group mumbled in agreement, before continuing down the dirt path. Gonta continued picking bugs from the branches, saying their name and letting them climb over his arm. After a few more minutes of walking, they finally reached a clearing with a giant rock feature in front of them. Shuichi looked up, and a few feet above the ground was a cave, symbols lining its entrance. 

“How do we get up there?” Ryoma asked, looking up as well. There was no obvious path up the cave, only a few platforms of rocks they could climb onto. 

“Climb, I guess,” Kokichi shrugged. The captain stepped forward, placing a hand on a divot in the rock and pulling himself up. Shuichi watched as Kokichi scaled the rock wall, impressed with how quickly he was going. 

“Well, you heard the captain,” Kaito nudged Shuichi in the shoulder. “Let’s climb!” 

Everyone stepped forward, reaching for something to grab onto and beginning the ascent up the rocks. Ryoma had climbed onto Gonta’s back, deciding it was easier to hitch a ride rather than risk climbing. 

Shuichi took it one step at a time, following the same path Kokichi was taking. Maki was also moving quickly, her upper body strength making it easier for her to climb up the rocks. Shuichi managed to reach the top, reaching a hand upon the lip of the cage looking for a spot to grab onto. 

A hand grabbed his wrist, helping aid him in getting up to the cave. Shuichi allowed himself to be pulled up, his body laying on the cool rock of the cave. He looked up, seeing Kokichi’s outstretched hand. He took it, standing up straight and adjusting his vest. 

“Thanks,” He smiled at the short captain. Kokichi gave a small smile, before reaching over the ledge to pull Miu up, while Maki pulled Kaito up as well. Shuichi walked over, extending his head to Tenko. 

“I don’t need help from a degenerate,” Tenko growled, grabbing the ledge and swinging her leg up. Shuichi raised his hands in surrender, backing away from the edge. 

Gonta and Ryoma appear a few moments later, the short man climbing off Gonta’s back when he knew it was safe. The crew peered into the dark cave, a mysterious and strange aura seeping out. Kaito was shaking next to Maki but tried to play it off. 

Shuichi looked over, seeing a root sticking out from the side of the cave. He reached over, pulling it out and turning to Ryoma. “Got a match?” 

The shorter man nodded, reaching into his pocket and pulling out matches. He struck it, bringing it to the root and trying to get it to catch. Miraculously, it did, and the group now had a torch to guide them through the cave. 

“You scared, Kaito?” Kokichi teased, looking over at the first mate. Kaito shook his head, putting on a brave face. 

Suddenly, Gonta coughed, and that made Kaito jump up once again, grabbing onto Maki’s arm. The crew erupted in laughter, laughing at the scared pirate. 

“S-So what if I-I am?” Kaito huffed, holding on tightly to Maki. The girl looked like she was going to kill Kaito, but when she looked over at him, her face softened. She sighed and allowed her arm to be used as a safety blanket. 

“Can we go now?” Miu pleaded, looking around the cave. “I want to get back to the ship,” 

Kokichi nodded and gestured for everyone to follow him. Shuichi went to the front with the makeshift torch so they could see where they were going. The light from the cave entrance got farther and farther away from them as they made their way deeper into the cave. 

Shuichi looked on the wall of the cave, seeing more weird markings and bones littering the ground. He could hear Kaito’s heavy breaths and whimper behind him, which isn't helping anyone in the cave. A smell of burning spices was growing heavier, at the same time a dime light came from the opposite end of the cave.

“Alright everyone, stay close and let me do the talking,” Kokichi whispered as they approached an entrance covered by vines. Everyone nodded, and Shuichi snuffed out the torch as Kokichi pushed the vines aside. 

The witch’s lair was dimly light, with candles floating in the air or hanging from the walls. Vials of strange liquids and objects lined the shelves, tables, and some of the floor. A large cauldron was bubbling in the center, the spice aroma coming from whatever liquid was inside. 

“Hello?” Kokichi called out, the sound vibrating of the cave walls. “We heard there was a witch here who can help us?” 

“G-Go away!” a small voice called from somewhere in the back of the cave. “M-My master won’t be back for a w-week or so!” 

“We can’t wait a week, can you maybe help us? We’re desperate,” Tenko had moved forward into the cave, looking for the sound of the voice. 

“Nyeh… I guess I can help… I mean, I've wanted to prove myself…” the hesitant voice grew closer, but someone was sure how. They couldn’t see the witch. 

“Can you maybe show yourself? We can’t see you,” Shuichi asked, stepping forward next to Tenko.

Suddenly, a puff of smoke appeared in the center of the room and made everyone stumble back, coughing. 

“Hi, I’m Himiko,” Everyone looked up, and where the smoke had been was a woman with short red hair, and face painting around her face. “Himiko Yumeno,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> I wanted to let you all know that I won't be able to write for a while due to my laptop needed repairs. Luckily, I could finish writing the chapter on my phone, but I can't with the other chapters. I should get it back in a week or so, so do not fret! This book is not ending, just taking a small hiatus! 
> 
> Hope all is well in your worlds :)


	10. Chapter 10

In all the stories and books had read, Shuichi had imagined a terrible, horrible, ugly old hag with a mole on her nose when it came to witches. The witch in front of them had turned all those preconceived notions on their heads. 

Himiko was short, with red hair with beads weaved in and hanging down lower than her hair and red face paint across her cheeks and forehead. She was wearing a long, ragged sleeveless dress fixed with patches. Underneath the dress were sleeves made up of fishnet, covering her shoulders to her hands. Her waist sash had little vials with weird liquids, a pepper, and something that resembled a rabbit’s food. In her left hand was a large wooden staff and a skull on top, barely shorter than her. 

“Holy shit,” Tenko breathed next to Shuichi, her eyes wide and pupils were blown. Kokichi rolled his eyes, brushing past Tenko and approaching the witch. 

“Hello, Himiko. I am Kokichi, Captain of The Dice,” He gave a small bow, the politeness way out of character. Shuichi guessed it was so the witch would be more receptive to their pleas for help. “We have come to ask your help in procuring a spell or potion that can break a cloaking spell,” 

“Y-You do know t-that all magic comes with a price, right?” Himiko clutched her staff a little harder, looking at all the pirates who had invaded her lair. “And a cloaking spell is advanced magic. Are you sure you can’t come back when my master is here?”

“We don’t have the luxury of time on our side, ma’am,” Kaito piped in, his laid back attitude returning now they were in a lit area. “You see, another pi-”

“I’m sure you can do it,” Tenko rushed forward, grabbing Himiko’s free hand. The tiny witch squeaked in surprise. “And we’re willing to pay any price for your services,” 

“Tenko,” Kokichi hissed, hitting the back of her head. “Don’t commit before we here her conditions,”

“Captain, you just got done saying we need this now,” Tenko retorted, still grasping Himiko’s hand. She turned to the small witch. “Name your price,”

“Well… it’s not a p-price like gold,” Himiko began, removing her hand from Tenko’s and moving to grab things from the various shelves. “My master always says, for a spell to be more powerful, something of emotional value must be exchanged,”

“What the fuck do you mean, emotional value?” Miu scoffed, crossing her hands over her chest. 

“I-I mean like a memory or item that holds value to its owner. It helps make the spell more effective,” Himiko explained, throwing something that looked like eyeballs in her cauldron. 

The crew exchanged glances at each other, looking for someone to step up and donate something. No one seemed to be able to find or think of anything to sacrifice. 

“I’ll do it,” Shuichi stepped forward, standing in front of the cauldron and staring at Himiko. He reached into his vest and pulled out the journal he had kept since he was a young boy, the one thing he had as an escape from his life. 

“Shuichi, no!” Kokichi grabbed the man's shoulder, turning him around. “Isn’t your journal everything to you? I don’t want you to lose something you love for a silly spell. We can find something else, like Miu’s tits or something,” Miu sputtered, covering her chest in embarrassment. 

Maki nodded, looking up at her friend. “I agree with the captain, for once. You’ve kept that journal for as long as I’ve known you. It’s so important to you,”

“Which is exactly why we need to use this,” Shuichi tried to reason, handing the journal to Himiko before anyone could grab it from him. “If my journal can help you all finally best Junko at something, I will gladly give it up,” He turned to the pirates behind him, smiling sadly. “Besides, I can always buy another journal,” 

Kokichi stared up at him incredulously, not exactly believing what he was hearing. “You would do that for us? Pirates who kidnapped you from your home?”

“Of course,” Shuichi gave a small laugh, looking at each and every one of the crew. “You guys are my friends,” 

A splash behind them broke the moment, and everyone looked to see Himiko throwing the journal into the cauldron, never to be seen again. Himiko grabbed a vial from her waist, splashing some of its contents in. 

“How long have you been a witch, Himiko?” Tenko asked, watching as the witch prepared the spell. 

“Nyeh… For as long as I can remember,” Himiko stuck her staff into the cauldron, stirring the liquid around. “Master Yasuhiro always said it was fate that I was to be his disciple. Ya know, this is the first time I’m doing a spell by myself,”

“Oh, that’s great,” Ryoma muttered, lighting up a cigarette in his mouth. Kaito and Miu shared looks of concern at those words. 

“I’ve always wondered about the world outside the cave,” Himiko mused, wafting the potion to her nose. “Master doesn’t take me on his missions or ingredient gathering,” 

“Why Himiko have bug in jar?” Gonta had walked over to a shelf, looking at the jar contents. Himiko gasped, dropping her staff and rushing over. 

“Don’t touch the jars!” she yelled, but it was too late. Gonta had opened a jar and a giant beetle flew out. Kaito screeched, waving his arms around like a madman to swat it away. 

“Someone catch it!” Himiko panicked, trying to grab the bug from the air. Everyone tried to catch the bug but to no avail. The beetle flew around, before landing on the edge of the cauldron. Tenko jumped into action, swatting the bug with her hand The beetle fell down, plopping into the potion. 

“Oh no,” Himiko breathed, freezing mid-step and staring at the cauldron. 

“What? It’s gone now!” Tenko grinned proudly, placing her hands on her hips. “I can catch you a new one if you want,” 

“No, it’s not that,” Himiko walked over, pulling her staff out of the liquid. “Beetles have binding properties and are typically used to put a p-potion on an object. And since my staff was in the potion…”

“Your staff and the spell are bound,” Shuichi finished, looking at the staff. Kokichi let out a loud groan, turning his gaze to Tenko and Gonta. 

“You idiots! Now, what are we going to do?” He hissed, running his hand down his face. 

“Could she give us the staff?” Kaito offered, stroking his goatee. “We can just use it when we get to the island,” 

“I-It doesn’t work like that,” Himiko stammered, pulling at the beads in her hair. “Only a person trained in magic can wield the staff,”

“Then you’ll just have to come with us, Himiko!” Tenko grinned, jumping up and down in. “Oh, please say she can come with us, Captain!” 

Kokichi sighed, rolling his eyes. “I guess she’s going to have to come with us. It’s the only way we can get past the cloaking spell,”

“I-I don’t know… my master…” Himiko mumbled, clutching onto her staff like a lifeline. 

“Didn’t you say you wanted to prove yourself to your master?” Tenko placed a hand on Himiko’s shoulder, crouching down. “If you show him you can hang with us pirates, maybe he’ll let you explore more of the outside world,” 

“I don’t know…”

“What have you got to lose?” Shuichi smiled, walking over to Tenko and Himiko. “I’m sure everyone would be happy to have you, right guys?” He turned to the others, looking for a response. 

All the pirates nodded and mumbled in response, their eyes darting around the room. Himiko bit her lip, thinking hard. 

“Ok, I guess,” she mumbled. Tenko cheered, wrapping her arm around the tiny witch. 

“Now that we’ve established Himiko will be joining us,” Kokichi walked over to the entrance to Himiko’s cave. “Let’s move, chop-chop!” 

Shuichi grabbed a candle that was hanging from the wall and walked over to the captain, leading the group out of the cave. Maki and Kaito followed, the navigator pressing next to the woman now that they were back in the dark cave. Tenko and Himiko followed, the small witch having to lift up her dress so as to not stumble. Ryoma, Miu, and Gonta trailed behind, the female of the group mumbling about the comment Kokichi had made earlier about her chest. 

“I really hope this witch won’t bring us trouble, or Tenko and Gonta are dead,” Kokichi grumbled as they walked through the cave. 

“Maybe having Himiko join us won’t be that bad,” Shuichi shrugged, sticking his free hand in his pocket. “Maybe she can provide some useful support with her magic,” 

Kokichi glanced back, looking at Tenko grinning and talking Himiko’s ear off about something. “She’s getting a canon named after her,” 

Shuichi laughed, smiling down at the shorter captain. Kokichi smiled back, and Shuichi felt his heart squeezing his chest. He shook the feeling away, focusing back on the path ahead. They arrived at the edge of the cave, looking down at the ground below. 

“This is going to be much harder than climbing up,” Kaito groaned, throwing his head back. Maki had already begun her descent, skillfully scaling down on the rocks. 

“Nyeh, I got this,” Himiko stepped forward, raising her staff in the air before slamming it down on the ground below. Shuichi watched as the world around him began to spin, and suddenly he was on the ground below. 

“Wow! Himiko, you’re amazing!” Tenko gushed, staring up at the mountain they were just on. 

“She was good, I guess,” Kokichi shrugged, stepping past the two girls and continuing down the dirt path back towards Hiyoko. 

“Thanks, Himiko,” Shuichi patted the girl’s back, stepping past to fall in line with Kokichi. The rest of the crew followed, thanking Himiko as they passed the girl. 

They all continued down the dirt path that had been cleared from their previous pass. Above them, the clouds had turned dark and grey, blocking out any sun from shining through. 

“Captain, I think a storm’s coming,” Miu called from the back of the group, pointing up at the sky. “The boats we took here aren’t that strong, so we better hurry so we can get back to the mainland before it starts,”

“Yeah, Miu, no kid-” Kokichi was cut off by a clap of thunder from behind them. They all turned around, gazing up at the dark sky approaching. Lightning flashed in the clouds near the cave, then another sound of thunder. 

“Run to the boats!” Kaito yelled, breaking into a sprint. Ryoma jumped on Gonta’s back and ran after Kaito. Everyone else began to break into a sprint as well, running as fast as they could towards the beach. Rain began to pour on their heads, making the ground slippery and soft. 

“Hurry up, you slowpokes!” Hiyoko was jumping up and down, waving her arms in the air. “We need to set sail before the seas get rough!” 

Everyone climbed into the boat, Kokichi joining Miu, Kaito, Shuichi, and Maki to even out now that Himiko had joined them. Maki and Kaito pushed the boat out while Gonta did the same to his boat. 

“Who’s this?” Hiyoko yelled over the thunder, pointing at Himiko. “She smells different, she wasn’t here last time!” 

“This is Himiko, she’s one of the witches on the island!” Tenko yelled back, rowing as fast as she could. 

“Hey, will you all shut up?” Kokichi yelled over at the boat, rowing along with Miu. “Focus on what you’re doing!”

The sea began to grow choppy, tossing the boats around through the waves. Shuichi grabbed onto the sides of the dinghy as hard as he could, his heart racing fast. A giant wave came barreling towards them, increasing in height as it drew closer. 

As it crashed down, Shuichi felt the force pull his grip off of the boat. Water began to fill his lungs as he thrashed about in the water, his head stinging. Shuichi couldn’t swim, he never learned. He felt his vision become hazy as he tried to move his body. 

Above the waves, everyone was freaking out. 

“SHUICHI!” Maki and Kaito screamed at the water, looking for a sign of him. “WHERE ARE YOU?” 

“Does anyone see him?” Miu cried, leaning over the side, trying to see through the ocean’s depths. 

“There! A hand!” Ryoma called out, pointing between the two boats. Kokichi threw off his hat and jacket to Kaito and jumped into the ocean. 

Everyone held their breath, looking for the two to resurface. A second later, Kokichi popped up in the waves, a limp Shuichi in his arms. Maki threw them a line, pulling them in after Kokichi had grabbed on. 

Miu and Kaito helped lift Shuichi over the side of the boat, Kokichi pulling himself up after. Shuichi on the bottom of the boat, his hair lying flat on his head and clothes soaked to the bone. 

“C’mon. Shuichi,” Kokich whispered, leaning his ear down trying to hear for breathing. When none was heard, Kokichi began CPR, pressing down on his chest. The water clogged in the man’s lungs was forced out, but still, Shuichi did not wake. 

“Is he ok?” Tenko called over from her boat, the rowing had ceased. 

“Everyone shut it!” Kokichi yelled, looking down at Shuichi. He looked so frail, so pale. Kokichi pinched Shuichi’s nose and leaned down, pressing their lips together. 

Shuichi’s lips were wet, soft, but still warm. It seemed that any more force on his lips would make Shuichi crumble like glass. If Kokichi hadn’t been trying to save this man’s life, he was sure he would be having a heart attack right now. He blew a little air into Shuichi’s mouth, hoping it would bring life back into his lungs. 

Kokichi felt a little force be applied against his lips, and immediately removed his own from Shuichi’s. Shuichi let out another cough before his eyes fluttered open. 

“Oh thank god,” Maki breathed a sigh of relief, kneeling down and resting Shuichi’s head in her lip. “Shuichi, are you okay?”

“W-What happened?” Shuichi coughed, looking around at the people in the boat. “Why am I all wet?” 

“You were swept into the water by a wave. Captain saved your life,” Kaito explained, giving Kokichi back his jacket and laying his own around Shuichi. 

“You did?” Shuichi turned his gaze to the captain, who was being awfully quiet, and his face red. Kokichi nodded, stuffing his hat on his head to hide his face. 

“Thank you, Kokichi,” Shuichi smiled weakly, before breaking into another cough. Kaito raised an eyebrow at the captain, looking between him and Shuichi, who was still coughing, his eyes squeezed shut. 

Kaito’s own eyes suddenly went wide, his mouth forming an ‘o’ shape. He glanced at Miu, who had the same expression on her face, 

“L-let's head back to shore now,” Kaito ordered, directing his comment to the other boat. Everyone nodded and began rowing once again. 

The sea had calmed, and the rest of the trip was uneventful as they returned to the shore. They pulled up the boats, tying them into the spokes in the ground. 

“Hiyoko, we can’t thank you enough,” Kokichi said to the blind women once they returned to her house. Hiyoko had provided him and Shuichi with some extra blankets to try and warm up. 

“Eh, it’s whatever,” Hiyoko shrugged, brushing off the comment. “I wasn’t doing anything else of importance today,”

“Why don’t you come with us,” Kokichi offered, tightening the blankets around him. “We could use someone with your heightened senses. 

“Thanks for your offer, Captain, but I am going to have to refuse,” Hiyoko smiled, folding her hands over her chest. “Santo Pollo might be a dust bowl, but I’m not inclined to leave, not yet, at least. Ask me in a few years, maybe I’ll change my answer,”

Everyone nodded sadly, respecting the woman’s decision. Miu stepped forward, wrapping her arms tightly around Hiyoko. “I promise to visit more often,” 

Hiyoko returned her hug. “Yeah, you better your whore,” The smaller blonde let go, looking up at Miu. “And bring the dashing pirate next time, yeah?” 

Miu blushed and nodded. The rest of the crew waved goodbye, heading down the dirt road and back to the port, along with their new member, Himiko. They greeted Keebo, who had said nothing of interest had happened while they were gone. Kokichi gave the order to weigh anchor and set course towards the Devil’s Triangle. 

“Shuichi,” Kokichi let Kaito take the wheel as he crossed the deck towards the tall man. “I want you to rest in my cabin tonight. You’ve been through an ordeal today,” 

“Oh, I couldn’t possibly take your bed! Shuichi insisted, rubbing the back of his head. “I’ll be just fine in my hammock,”

“That’s an order, Shuichi,” Kokichi had a very serious expression on his face. “From your captain,”

Something about that phrasing made Shuichi blush and nod stupidly. “O-Ok, Captain. G-Goodnight,” He gave a weak smile, and scurried off towards Kokichi’s Quarters, quickly closing the door behind him. 

Kokichi released a breath he didn’t know he was carrying. He removed his hat and ran his hands through his still wet hair, before turning to walk up back towards the wheel. 

“You’ve got it bad, Kokichi,” Kaito chuckled, giving Kokichi the reign of the ship once again. The captain blew a raspberry, staring at the cabin door. 

“Oh come on, just admit it,” Kaito teased, slapping Kokichi’s back. “I saw you today after you kissed him,”

“I didn’t kiss him, I was doing CPR you dodo!” Kokichi hissed, glaring at Kaito. “And you’re the one to talk. I see you look at your Maki Roll,” 

Kaito flushed, avoiding Kokichi’s gaze. “T-These Port Morsey people… making us go soft,”  
Kaito moved past Kokichi, heading down the steps. “I’m going to relieve Keebo. I’ll see you later, Captain,”

Kokichi gave him a nod, gripping the wheel tighter. “Ah, Shumai. What are you doing to me,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! 
> 
> My computer was returned yesterday, and I was super glad it was. I spent all day cranking out this chapter, so I hope you enjoyed! Himiko was so hard to think of a design for, and I had to draw it out, and I mixed her design off of Tia Dalma and the other witch of Pirates of the Caribbean. It was fun to draw. 
> 
> See you all in the next chapter :)


	11. Chapter 11

Shuichi curled up in the comfortable sheets, inhaling the scent. It smelled salty, bringing comfort into his soul. He yawned, sitting up in the bed and stretching his muscles up in the air. Shuichi opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings. He had totally forgotten he had spent the night in Kokichi’s room. 

“Oh, good your up,” Kaito was standing over the table in the middle of the room, looking over the star charts on the map. “Maki came in last night and took your shirt and vest to dry below deck if you were wondering,” 

Shuichi looked over at the couch, and sure enough, his shirt and vest weren’t lying where he had left them. “Oh, that’s nice of her,” He got out of bed, pulling his boots back on. 

“Dude, where’d you get the abs? Didn’t think a sheltered kid like you would have muscle,” Kaito nodded, impressed. It was short-lived, however, as he brought his arms up and flexed. “These babies came from years lifting rum barrels,”

Shuichi laughed, making the bed behind him. “Maki helped me train back at home. If anyone’s got muscles, it’s that girl,” 

“R-Really?” Kaito stammered, gripping his pencil a little harder. “Do you think she’d work out with me? Tenko usually does, but she prefers beating me to a pulp as opposed to actually working out,” 

“Oh definitely,” Shuichi nodded, walking over to the table. “Maki likes working out. It helps her relax,” Shuichi looked at Kaito’s face, and his own broke out into a smirk. “Wait a second… do you like Maki?” 

“W-What? Nooooo,” Kaito tried to dismiss the comment, waving his arms around like a bird. “I just need a workout buddy, which you have just informed me Maki could be…. And you can join us too!”

Shuichi chuckled, shaking his head. “Ok, Kaito, whatever you say. I’m going to grab my shirt,” With that, Shuichi exited the cabin, closing the door shut behind. Tenko and Himiko were on deck, looking out on the waves. 

“Ah! Shuichi!” Tenko jumped, covering Himiko’s eyes when she saw Shuichi. “Do not blind Himiko with your pale torso!”

“Um… sorry?” Shuichi apologized but wasn’t sure why he was apologizing. He continued on his way, waving up to Ryoma who was behind the wheel. 

“Maki?” Shuichi walked down the hatch to the lower deck, looking for his friend. “Are you down here?” 

“Maki’s over there, working out-” Kokichi had popped up from behind a canon, freezing as he looked at Shuichi. 

“Oh! Kokichi!” Shuichi grinned, waving and walking over towards the captain. “Thanks for letting me borrow your cabin. I made sure to make the bed before I left. Kaito is in there, going over papers,” Shuichi continued hit rambling as Kokichi’s face got significantly redder. “Do you need me to do anything today? Before we get to the Devil’s Triangle?” 

“U-Uh…” Kokichi stammered, running a hand through his hair. “I guess you can help Keebo in the lookout spot. Watch out for sea monsters…. And sirens….” 

Shuichi smiled and nodded, walking past Kokichi and heading towards the back of the ship. Maki was doing pull-ups on one of the sip’s beams while Miu sat next to her, sewing Maki’s red jacket. 

“Morning Shuichi,” Miu nodded, threaded the needle through the fabric. She glanced up, looking at Shuichi’s topless form. “You’re pale as fuck,” 

Shuichi chuckled, shaking his head and reaching for his drying shirt next to Miu. “You are the second person to say that today,” 

“Was the first Kokichi?” Miu asked, pulling the needle. “I see him ogling back there,” She gestured back towards the captain. Shuichi turned his head back and saw Kokichi staring at him. The captain’s eyes went wide, and he turned back to whatever he was doing. 

“N-No it wasn’t Kokichi,” Shuichi blushed slightly, throwing on his shirt fast, and grabbing his vest even faster. “Maki, how are you today?” Shuichi asked, trying to change the subject. 

“I’m well,” Maki said as she let go of the beam, brushing her hands. “I should be asking how you are. You gave everyone quite a scare yesterday,”

“Oh, I’m fine,” Shuichi smiled, buttoning his navy vest. “No need to worry about me, honestly,”

Maki gave him a hesitant look, but nodded slowly. “Well, when we get back to Port Morsey, we’re teaching you how to swim,”

Shuichi gave a weak smile, excusing himself to go and help Keebo, as Kokichi had instructed. He climbed up the rope ladder leading to the crow’s nest, trying to clear his head as much as he could. He popped up in the crow’s nest, seeing Keebo staring down at him.

“Ah, Shuichi, glad to see you here.” Keebo extended a hand, helping Shuichi up into the small circular area that surrounded the main posts. “Did the captain send you up here?” 

“Yes, he did,” Shuichi nodded, gripping onto the wood. “He said something about sirens and sea creatures,” 

Keebo grabbed something to his left and handed Shuichi a monoscope. It was cold and stiff in his hands, silver with black details. Shuichi extended the monoscope, raising it to his eye. 

“Um… you’re holding it backward, Shuichi,” Keebo laughed, rotating the monoscope in Shuichi’s hand. Shuichi gave a small grin, looking out of the scope, correctly this time. 

“I heard you got into a spot of trouble yesterday,” Keebo said, looking out through his scope. 

“Yeah, I kinda fell into the ocean and almost drowned. Kokichi saved me,” Shuichi looked out onto the endless ocean, seeing absolutely nothing. The sight was still beautiful, the light bouncing off of the waves. “This is so beautiful. I’m jealous that you get to look out at the sea every day,”

“I sure am lucky,” Keebo chuckled, adjusting his jacket. “But it wasn’t always like this,” 

“I have been meaning to ask,” Shuichi placed the scope in his pocket, turning towards Keebo. “How did you end up on this crew? You and Kokichi seem so different,” 

“While that might be true, common experience helps this crew grow stronger,” Keebo sighed, gripping the wood as well. “I was the first person Kokichi asked to join the crew. If you hadn’t guessed by my clothes, I grew up in a well off family. My father was a scientist, and a very wealthy one,”

Shuichi nodded, listening intently as Keebo continued. “Our town came under siege courtesy of the Monokuma, and my father was killed while saving me from falling rubble. I knew I couldn’t stay at my home anymore, so I hopped on a ship, met Kokichi, and the rest is history,” 

“Pretty eventful history,” Shuichi noted, looking over at the lookout. “You all seem so content with your lives now. I’m jealous,”

“You’re lonely, aren’t you, Shuichi,” Keebo said, and rather abruptly. 

“W-What do you m-mean by that, Keebo?” Shuichi stammered, taken aback by the comment. 

“I apologize for being so blunt, but I’m not wrong,” Keebo tapped his fingers on the wood, looking at Shuichi. “I can tell by your eyes. The Captain had the same eyes when we first met, as did everyone else when they joined the crew. No one ever joins a pirate crew while they have friends or a family,” 

“I didn’t join the crew, not officially,” Shuichi mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. “And I do have a family,”

“But do you?” Keebo asked, opening up his monoscope and rolling it in his hands. “When you look deep inside yourself, where do you feel at home? Here, or Port Morsey?”

Shuichi ran his hand through his hair. Keebo was right. He didn’t ever truly feel at home in his house in Port Morsey. He felt at home here, with Kokichi and the crew. “I-I…” Shuichi looked out. Something jumped in the water. “Keebo, what’s that?” 

Keebo put the scope to his eye, looking out where Shuichi was pointing. “Oh no,” The white-haired pirate paled. He quickly turned, ringing the bell attached to the pole. “SIRENS! OFF THE STARBOARD BOW!”

Everyone down below began to panic, running around and busying themselves. Keebo ushered Shuichi down the rope, stepping down towards the deck below. Kaito was running around, handing out pieces of wax. 

“Put these in your ears, and don’t take them out until I give the all-clear,” Kaito instructed, shoving the wax in Shuichi’s hand. 

“Has anyone seen The Captain?” Miu panicked, looking around the deck. 

“Did he not come up with us?” Maki asked, looking back at the hatch they had exited from. 

“No time!” Ryoma yelled, shoving the wax in his ears. “They’re here!” He pointed off the side of the ship. Shuichi shoved the wax in, then glanced over where Ryoma was gesturing. 

Sirens were perched upon the rocks they were passing, beautiful ladies whose hair shone under the sun, and skin glistened from the water. Shuichi was sure if he could hear what they were singing, he’d be a goner. 

A figure moving at Shuichi’s left caught his attention. He turned, his heart sinking as he saw Kokichi stepping slowly over towards the edge of the ship, his eyes glossed over. 

“Kokichi!” Shuichi yelled although he couldn’t hear his own voice. Kokichi didn’t flinch, he just kept walking towards the side of the ship. Shuichi ran forward, grabbing Kokichi’s arm and pulling him away from the edge. 

“Kaito!” Shuichi waved his arm in the air, trying to get the man behind the wheel’s attention. Kaito wasn’t looking, he just kept his face straight ahead.

Shuichi felt Kokichi trying to pull his arm away, but he just gripped harder. Shuichi pulled Kokichi away from the edge, but the shorter man continued to fight. 

“Kokichi, stop!” Shuichi yelled. Shuichi spun the man around, gripping tightly onto the Captain’s shoulders and staring into his eyes. “Kokichi, look at me,” 

Kokichi’s face softened, his eyes returning to normal. Shuichi watched as the Captain mouthed ‘Shuichi’, and broke into a grin. He pulled Kokichi into a hug, covering his ears as he didn’t have wax. They stood there for a few more minutes before Shuichi felt a tap on his shoulders. He turned his head, seeing Miu tapping her ears. 

Shuichi let go of Kokichi, pulling the wax out of his own ears. “Sirens gone?” The girl nodded, before slinking off towards Tenko and Himiko, the former had tied herself and Himiko to a canon so they couldn’t be seduced to jump over. 

“Shuichi,” the man looked down at the Captain who had just called his name. “Thank you. You saved me,” 

Shuichi smiled, adjusting Kokichi’s hat which was askew. “Consider us even, okay?” 

Kokichi grinned, nodding before he brushed past Shuichi and towards the wheel. “We’re approaching the Devil’s Triangle, you scallywags! Look alive!” Kokichi yelled, marching up the stairs and pushing Kaito away. “Keebo, get your butt up in the crow’s nest. Miu, Tenko, Ryoma, get those sails with the wind, I want to navigate these rocks fast and safely. Gonta and Kaito, grab the long poles and be ready to push off the rocks if necessary,” 

Kokichi looked down towards Maki, Shuichi, and Himiko, who were standing at different areas on deck. “You three just… stay out of our way. It’s too risky to have you newbies help,”

“Nyeh… I’m too tired to help out anyways. I used all my magic today on making the food taste better,” Himiko sighed, sitting down on the stairs at the bow of the ship. Shuichi smiled, sitting down next to the girl on the steps. 

“How has your day been, Himiko? Enjoying the outside life?” Shuichi asked, leaning on his knees. 

“I like the water. It’s nice,” Himiko shrugged, leaning back on the steps. “Tenko is teaching me about the different sea creatures, and I can see the great use in their skin for magic,” 

That’s… nice,” Shuichi grimaced, before directing his eyes towards Kokichi, who was cautiously moving the wheel. 

“I also found another ingredient, but it’s too difficult to bottle by myself,” Himiko whispered, wringing her hands together. “But I was wondering if you can help,”

“Sure,” Shuichi agreed, turning back to the girl. “What’s the ingredient?”

“True love,” Himiko said as if it was the most normal thing in the world. “Specifically you and the Captain’s,” 

“W-What?” Shuichi straightened up on the stair, his face going red. “Me a-and Kokichi? But he doesn’t… we aren’t…”

“Oh?” Himiko yawned, her eyebrow raising slightly. “I could’ve sworn it was love. I mean, he did kiss you after you fell in the ocean,”

“That was CPR!”

“And I saw what you did just now with the sirens,” Himiko tilted her head, looking at Shuichi. “A siren’s song is supposed to lure people with their deepest desires. However, their song can be countered by said desire. Kokichi was saved by you, hence you are his deepest desire, and ergo it has to be true love,”

Shuichi couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It couldn’t be true, it didn’t make any sense. Kokichi would never be interested in a loser like him. “Y-You’ve been cooped up in that cave for too long, Himiko,” 

The tiny witch shrugged, standing up from the stairs. “Well, it was worth a shot. Love’s a pretty powerful ingredient, it would have been nice to have '' She shrugged walking away from Shuichi. “I’m going to take a nap. See ya,”

Shuichi was left dumbstruck, his emotions absolutely confused. Did he like Kokichi? Had he fallen for the captain? Did Kokichi like him? 

“No, I’m just overthinking this,” Shuichi laughed, looking up at the Captain. “I don’t like-”

“Kaito! Get your butt moving with that stick and push off the rocks! I don’t want to be seafood!” The Captain was giving more orders from his post. Maybe it was just the sunlight, or the salt finally getting to Shuichi, but something about how he perceived the purpled-haired captain had changed. 

“Oh no,” Shuichi gulped, his heart race increasing. It hit him like a giant wave. “I like Kokichi,”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Commodore Akamatsu, are you sure this is the right path to go?” Rantaro turned to the blonde girl who was looking out from the bow of the ship. 

Kaede sighed, fidgeting with the sword on her belt. “The Governor wants desperately to get his nephew back, and if working with pirates is the way to fo that, we must follow his orders,”

“I know, it’s just…” Rantaro looked at the ship ahead, the pirate Junko’s ship, the Monokuma. “Does it really have to be these pirates?” 

“She says she knows where they are going. They do have a person on their crew who has seen the map,” Kaede turned her gaze to the other pirate ship, the Jabberwock, following behind the other pirate ship. 

“Their crewmate is a prisoner, I’ve seen her,” Rantaro whispered, leaning in closer to Kaede’s ear. “When I was inspecting the ship with the Governor, it was a woman and a tiny child. I recognized the woman as Cosette Blanche,”

“How did you know her name?” Kaede asked, turning to the man. 

“She was in Shuichi’s journal,” Rantaro answered, placing his hands on his hips. “As was Junko, and Hinata, and Nagito. They all were. He showed it to me a few times, along with Maki. I’m sorry I’m questioning the Governor’s judgement, but…” 

“But if they can take us to where Shuichi will be, their past shouldn’t matter,” Kaede dismissed the comment, eyeing Rantaro suspiciously. “We have a duty to return the nephew and my fiancé to Port Morsey,” She walked brushed past Rantaro, not looking back. “I won’t have any more of this. Continue on our pace with the Monokuma!”

Rantaro sighed, shaking his head. Maki was right. Pirates were nothing but trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Hope all is well. Life's pretty odd right now, but I got some time to write so I did :)  
> I've also been watching My Hero Academia, which is really like. I wish I had watched it sooner. It also got me thinking of new fics to write after I finish this one. It will either be an MHA AU with the Danganronpa cast, a Titanic AU with V3, or maybe an MHA in Danganronpa Killing Game (but that might be difficult, but if people want it I'm willing). What do ya'll think?
> 
> Anyways, have a great day!


	12. Chapter 12

Maki might not wear her emotions on her sleeve, but she was good at reading others. Especially Shuichi’s, since they had known each other for so long. So when she looked over at him, his glossed over eyes and pink cheeks, she knew he was in love with the pesky Captain. 

“Maki Roll, come help me real quick, I need help,” She snapped out of her gaze, turning her attention to Kaito, who was pushing off the rocks with the long pole. 

“Sure,” Maki nodded, walking over and pushing on the pole with Kaito. The ship began to move away from the rock they were pushing off of. They moved the pole away from the rocks, placing it back on the deck. 

“Kaito, can I ask you a question,” Maki let go of the pole, wiping her hands on her jacket. 

“Uh, sure,” Kaito shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Go ahead,” 

Maki glanced over at Kokichi at the helm, and then Shuichi, who had occupied himself with helping Gonta with the pole on his side. “Has Kokichi ever been in a relationship?” 

“W-What?” Kaito stammered, his hands waving in the air. “M-Maki, are you-”

“Kaito, you misunderstand me. I don’t like Kokichi,” Maki gestured her head over towards Shuichi. “He does,” 

Kaito looked over at Shuichi, and then to Kokichi, who just happened to be staring at the Governor’s nephew. “Oh… well, you’re in luck, Maki Roll, our doting Captain just so happens to have an eye for your charge. I can tell,” Kaito grinned. 

“Oh I know,” Maki crossed her hands on her hips. “He’s not that slick. But you’re not answering the question. Has he been in a relationship?”

Kaito tapped his chin, before shaking his head. “No, none I can remember. The Captain’s never really shown interest romantically in someone before. The only interest he’s had in anyone is hatred of Junko,” 

Maki nodded, taking in that information. She wanted Shuichi to be happy and could tell he was beginning to have second thoughts about returning to Port Morsey. In all honesty, so was Maki. Coming on this adventure with Kaito and his friends had brought happiness in her life she had thought she wouldn’t get. 

“What about you? Have you ever been in a relationship?” Kaito asked, getting Maki’s attention back. 

“O-Oh, um…” Maki felt her stomach do a flip. She collected herself, staring up at Kaito, her expression unmoving. “No, I haven’t. And right now, we have another relationship to focus on,”

“Wait, do you want to get the Captain and Shuchi together?”

“Well, yeah,” Maki replied, adjusting her coat. “It is my duty as Shuichi’s aid to make him happy. If this will make him happy, then I must help him,” 

“Listen, Maki, I’m all for this,” Kaito laughed, leaning on the rail of the ship. “But have you ever thought about your happiness? I know that Shuichi wants you to be happy, and I want you to be happy,”

“This will make me happy. Shuichi is my best friend, and I’ve watched him be sad his entire life. But when he’s here with you all, and when he’s hanging around your stupid Captain, he smiles. When he smiles, I am happy,” Maki gave a barely noticeable smile, looking up at Kaito. “And besides, it gives you an excuse to hang with me more, yeah?” 

Kaito laughed, rubbing Maki’s head affectionately. “Yeah, I guess it does, Maki Roll,” He slung his arm around Maki’s shoulder, bringing her close. “So, what’s the plan?”

On the other side of the ship, Shuichi was struggling to help Gonta. Currently, he found himself hoisted in the air, as he had stupidly grabbed onto the end of the pole while the strong Gonta pushed off from the front. 

“G-Gonta!” Shuichi struggled, his hands and arms hurting from hanging for so long. “Can you put the pole down?”

“Oh! Shuichi, Gonta is sorry! I am so stupid,” Gonta let go of the pole, sending Shuichi slamming to the ground. He groaned, sitting up and clutching his back. Gonta extended a big hand, helping Shuichi up to his feet. 

“It’s fine, Gonta, don’t worry about it,” Shuichi smiled, patting Gonta on the shoulder. “You’re a good pirate,”

Gonta grinned, his face scrunching in a smile. “Shuichi is so nice to Gonta. Gonta love all his friends,” 

“How did you meet all your friends, Gonta?” Shuichi asked, walking over and leaning against the railing. “I mean to say, how did you become a pirate?” 

“Oh,” Gonta nodded, looking out at the rocks the ship was sailing through. “Gonta joined after Junko burned down Gonta’s home in the forest. Hurt all of Gonta’s bug friends. But Gonta makes new friends, here on The Dice!” 

“Have you always liked bugs?”

Gonta grabbed Shuichi’s arm and pulled him down through the hatch of the ship. They walked towards the bow of a ship where a door was. Gonta fumbled with something in his pockets, before pulling out a key. He inserted the key into the door and opened it up. 

Shuichi stepped in, a small window shedding light in the room. On the wall were jars and vases of a variety of bugs, all crawling around in their containers. Shuichi looked inside the jars, at all the different insects. 

“These are some of my new friends!” Gonta opened up a jar and let the bug fall on his hand. “Kokichi let me turn an old cabinet into my bug home,” 

“What’d I let you do?” The two turned, seeing Kokichi leaning on the doorframe. Shuichi’s heart rate increased, and his face got red. 

“Keep my bug friends,” Gonta extended his hand with the bug crawling on it. 

“Oh, yeah, the bugs,” Kokichi gave a quick smile, before turning his gaze to Shuichi. 

“I need you,”

“W-What?” Shuichi stammered, stepping backward like the words were a force that moved him. 

“I need you,” Kokichi crossed his arms over his chest. “To help me tie the ropes up on deck. Himiko tripped all over them and now they are all tangled. I can’t have the ropes be messed up,” 

“Oh,” Shuichi breathed, his heart pace slowing down a tad. “Yeah, uh, sure,” He thanked Gonta for showing him the bugs, and left the room following behind Kokichi. 

The raven-haired man’s brain felt fuzzy as he followed the Captain. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of the sway of his hair and jacket, and the melodious sound of his voice. 

“...and Gonta looked like he was about to cry when he found a bug when he first came on my ship so I said I’d clear out the gun cabinet we never use and- Shuichi, are you even listening?” Kokichi stopped midway up the stairs, turning to look at the other man. 

“Huh?” Shuichi looked into Kokichi’s eyes, his own wide open. “You were talking about… Gonta, right?” 

“Yup!” Kokichi grinned, his smile wide. “Glad to see you haven’t lost interest in me,” With that, he turned back around and skipped up the stairs. Shuichi followed, being led over to a pile of ropes, along with Tenko, who was helping Himiko get untangled. 

“Himiko, you ok?” Shuichi asked, kneeling down next to the girl. 

“Nyeh… I’m fine. I just tripped,” Himiko sighed, pulling at the rope around her legs. 

“Keebo said he saw a whale off the port side bow, and Himiko got excited,” Tenko explained, pulling out her sword and cutting through the rope. 

“Did you two come to help me bottle that thing we talked about earlier, Shuichi?” Himiko asked, looking between the Captain and Shuichi. 

“What thing?” 

“No, no,” Shuichi shook his head violently, before pulling the ropes off of Himiko’s legs. “Definitely not. Oh look, you’re free now, ok, bye bye Himiko!” 

Tenko helped the small witch up, but not before giving Shuichi a very confused look. Himiko just shrugged, allowing herself to be pulled away. 

“What thing was she talking about, Shuichi?” Kokichi questioned, kneeling down next to Shuichi. 

“Nothing. Now, can you show me how you want me to tie the ropes?” Shuichi changed the topic, trying to focus on Kokichi and how he wanted to tie the ropes. 

Up near the wheel of the ship, Maki, Kaito, Tenko, and Himiko were watching the two intently. 

“Nice tripping, Himiko,” Kaito complimented, giving the woman a small nod. 

“She’s a natural actor,” Tenko beamed with pride, hugging Himiko tightly. The smaller girl squeaked her thanks under the crushing arms of the girl. 

“So, what now, Maki?” Kaito turned to the mastermind behind the whole operation. Maki was tapping her chin, eyes narrowed at the two men on deck who were talking while tying the rope. 

“What if we make one of them jealous by having Miu flash her chest or something?” Himiko offered. 

“Hey,” Miu hissed from behind everyone. “Not everyone has the pleasure of seeing these puppies,”

“Was Keebo one of those people,” Tenko snickered, redoing one of her braids. Miu scoffed, turning her head to the side so no one could see her blush. 

“What if we stuff them in a closet, that could work,” Kaito thought, still manning the wheel. 

“I don't think they need our help right this second, look,” Maki gestured over to the two on deck. Everyone looked over at Kokichi and Shuichi. The two had seemingly grabbed onto the same rope, Shuichi accidentally pulling Kokichi on top of him. The two stared at each other for a second, the governor’s nephew underneath the captain. 

“Oh, they are totally going to kiss,” Kaito grinned, leaning forward over the wheel. 

“Move, Tenko lemme see!” Miu pushed past Maki and the others to see. 

She didn’t see much, as the two men had stood up, laughing as their faces got progressively redder. Everyone near the wheel groaned, throwing their heads back in defeat. 

“This won’t work, they are too oblivious,” Ryoma had appeared from nowhere, smoking a cigarette in his mouth. 

“They aren’t hopeless,” Maki said, stuffing her hands in her pockets. “They just need a bit more of a push to jump over the ledge,” 

“Hey!” Kokichi was now stomping up towards them, Shuichi following behind carrying all the rope in his arms. “What are all you slackers doing? The only two people working right now are Keebo and Gonta,” 

“I’m working!” Kaito retorted, looking rather offended. “I’ve been manning the wheel almost all afternoon!” 

“Oh, really,” Kokichi deadpanned, putting his hands on his hips. “How far are we from The Vault?”

“We should be arriving at Shipwreck Cove later tonight, so if we wait to cross it until the sunrise, I’d estimate that we will get there mid-afternoon tomorrow,” Kaito explained, giving a triumphant thumbs up to the captain. 

Kokichi nodded, impressed at his first mate. “Ok, so you have been working. Good,” He then directed his attention to the other crew members. “Now you losers… GET TO WORK!” 

The remaining crew members scrambled away, leaving Himiko to tred after Tenko, and Maki standing next to Shuichi, who had placed down the ropes. 

“I’ll take over from here, Kaito,” Kokichi pushed Kaito away from the wheel. “Go get some rest. You too, Maki and Shuichi. We’ve got a big day ahead of us tomorrow,”

Maki nodded, exiting the area with Kaito in tow. Shuichi still stood there, wringing his hands together. “Kokichi, I just wanted to say… um...thanks,”

“Thanks?” Kokichi asked, confused. “For what?”

“For letting me and Maki on your crew,” Shuichi said softly. “Temporarily, of course, but I appreciate it either way,”

“What if you didn’t leave,” Kokichi mumbled, fidgeting his free hand on his sword. “What if you just… joined the crew forever? I like having you here…. And Maki, of course,”

“Kokichi,” Shuichi felt his heart do yet another flip, looking at the shorter captain. The sun was setting behind him, basking the captain in an almost heavenly glow. “I really want to, so bad, but…”

“How about you think about it,” Kokichi concluded, tapping Shuichi on the nose. “I’ll give you until after we get the treasure to make your final decision. I can take you back to Port Morsey, or you can stay on The Dice forever with me,”

Shuichi bit his lip. “Ok, I’ll think about it. Good night, Kokichi,” Shuichi gave a small smile before leaving towards the barracks. 

He stepped down the stairs, walking over to the hammocks that had been tied to support beams. He climbed in the one next to Maki, looking up at the ceiling above. The ship swayed back and forth in the ocean, the sound of the wood creaking becoming a common sound. 

“Hey Maki,” Shuichi whispered, still staring up at the wood above. 

“Yeah?”

“How would you feel if I stayed on The Dice?”

A long silence, before Maki spoke again. “I’d be happy that you followed your heart, then ask if I could join you too, I think. Why?” 

“I was just wondering,” Shuichi yawned, resting his arms behind his head. He began to feel sleep encroach upon him in the tiny hammock. “I was just wondering,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! 
> 
> I finished this book while on facetime with my friend who is also writing something right now. She isn't part of the fandom, but she is really good at writing. Currently trying to convince her to join this website. 
> 
> She did, however, help me re-work my ending for this book, and boy, I'm excited to write it! 
> 
> Toodles!


	13. Chapter 13

Sunrise had come to the ship, and Shuichi was woken up by an eager Tenko, as she was pulling him out of the hammock and onto the deck. 

“Get up and atom, Shuichi,” Tenko grinned, pulling him over to some oars on the deck. “The Captain’s resting from sailing all night, and put Kaito in charge of coasting through Shipwreck Bay,”

“How can I help?” Shuichi yawned, stretching his arms in the air. 

“I need your scrawny arms to help us slow the ship down with these oars,” Tenko pushed an oar in Shuichi’s hands. “It will create drag, so we can safely sail through the Bay and reach the island,” 

“Sounds easy enough,” Shuichi shrugged. The two walked over to the edge, sticking the oars in over the edge of the rails, dipping in the clear water below. 

Shuichi could see silhouettes of ships blurring together in the water, the wreckage floating in the water around. It was a very ghostly and eerie area, making Shuichi’s spine tingle. He looked over at Tenko, whose face looked blank and expressionless as they moved through the broken ships. 

“Uh, Tenko?” Shuichi whispered, tapping the girl’s shoulder. “Are you ok?” 

“Huh?” Tenko snapped out of her staring, her braids whacking Shuichi in the face. “Oh, um, yeah, I’m fine,” 

“No, you aren’t,” It was Himiko who had spoken, appearing out of thin air between Tenko and Shuichi. “I could sense your sadness. You’re really sad. Can you cry so I can bottle it?” 

“What, Himiko, no,” Shuichi scoffed, looking down at the small witch. “Tenko will cry if she wants to, and tell us what’s bothering her when she feels like it,” 

“It was a few years ago,” Tenko spoke up, looking out at the water. “I was on this all-female crew of pirates, heading out on the open seas. We were sailing to some stupid treasure through this bay when the Monokuma shot us down. See that ship mast over there?” She pointed out towards a mast pointing out of the water, the flag on the mast all battered and wet. 

“Is that your ship?” Himiko asked, looking out at the flag. Tenko nodded, her hands squeezing on the oar tightly. 

“I was the only survivor,” her voice was broken, her usual confidence gone for a second. Next to Tenko, Himiko was waving her staff in the air. “Himiko, what are you doing?”

The small witch muttered something under her breath, before slamming her staff down on the deck. The flag in the distance waved in the wind, before ripping itself off the mast and flying towards them. Tenko’s eyes went wide as she reached out to grab it as it drew closer. 

“Woah!” Shuichi grinned, looking at the flag in Tenko’s hand. “Himiko, that was really awesome,”

“Nyeh… my mana’s all out now,” Himiko sighed, slumping over the railing. “And I have to dispel the cloak over the island later today,”

Tenko moved fast, wrapping her arms around the witch. “Thank you, Himiko. For the flag, I mean,” 

“Hey! You three!” Kaito yelled from the wheel. “Can we get back to the oars, please? Tenko, I believe yours is about to fall off the side,”

The pirate let go of Himiko and scrambled to grab the oar before it flew off the edge. Shuichi chuckled, turning back to his work. They continued their trek through the dangerous water, avoiding all of the rocks and the wreckage. 

Maki arrived a bit after and got to work helping Shuichi navigate the waters. The excitement Shuichi was feeling was almost infectious as they got closer to the island where The Vault laid. He turned to Maki, who seemed distracted by something at the helm. Shuichi looked towards the wheel, only seeing Kaito. 

“What’s so interesting about Kaito?” Shuichi asked, tilting his head to the side. “He’s just… standing there. So why are you staring?”

“I wasn’t staring!” Maki hissed, turning her head back around. “You’re delusional… I was simply looking at the woodwork on the ship,”

“No you weren't, I saw you,” Shuichi smirked, putting the pieces together. “You like him, don’t you?”

“No! He’s annoying and stupid… and he smells like fish,” Maki turned away, focusing on her work. 

“Maki, this whole boat smells like fish. WE smell like fish,” Shuichi laughed, shaking his head. “Wanna know a secret?”

“I wanna know Shumai’s secrets!” A pair of arms wrapped around his neck from behind, making Shuichi freeze up. “Oh please, tell me!”

“C-Captain!” Shuichi stammered, glancing behind at the shorter man who was hanging onto him. “It’s not a big secret, and it’s rather boring,”

“No, Shuchi,” Maki mirrored the man’s smirk from earlier. “Please, tell us. What is this… secret you have?”

“Is that Kaito calling me?” Shuichi turned to the man at the helm. “Kaito, did you say my name? You did, right?”

“What?” Kaito yelled, looking over at the group. “I can’t hear you!”

“So you can tell us the secret~” Kokichi sang, his breath hitting Shuichi’s neck, giving him goosebumps. 

“Yo! Suichi!” Miu yelled from the front of the ship. “I need your help cleaning this canon! Get your ass up here!”

“Oh, Miu’s calling,” Shuichi stammered, removing Kokichi’s arms from his shoulders. “Coming Miu!” He scampered off, running to the female pirate. 

“Did I say something?” Kokichi asked, fixing his hat. “Strike a nerve, or…”

“That’s not it,” Maki shook her head, watching Shuichi run up the stairs. “He’s just trying to wrap his head around stuff right now,”

“Will he be ok?” Kokichi’s voice sounded concerned, his gaze still on the raven-haired man. “The last leg of this trip won’t be easy, and I don’t want him getting hurt again. If he isn’t in the right mindset…”

“I assure you that he wants nothing more than to help you and your crew get that treasure,” Maki patted the Captain’s shoulder. “Shuichi wouldn’t miss it for the world,”

Kokichi nodded, before turning towards the wheel. “Keep working, Maki. Passage on this boat ain’t free!” 

Maki sighed, before turning back to her work. They finally cleared Shipwreck Cove, the water calm and clear. Shuichi looked out past the ship, trying to spot the island. 

“I don’t see it. Where’s the island?” Shuichi asked, turning to Tenko and Himiko, who were next to him. 

“Remember, it’s hidden,” Tenko looked down at Himiko, who was clutching her staff. “So, that means it’s Himiko’s turn to show us what she’s got,”

Himiko nodded, and hoisted herself up onto the railing, keeping her balance with a rope. Shuichi and Tenko watched as she walked across the bowsprit of the ship, still clutching onto the rope. 

“Quid revelare abscondita est, verum colore ostendam tibi!” Himiko yelled, raising the staff up in her free hand. A stream of navy lighting shot out of the staff, rocketing forward and hitting something ahead of the ship. The lightning travels up, a mist appearing beyond. Through the mist, a silhouette of an island appeared beyond. 

“Kokichi!” Himiko yelled, jumping off the bowsprit and back onto the deck. “You have twenty-four hours to get in and get out. If you don’t we’re trapped on that island until someone else comes along,”

“Got it!” Kokichi called back, before barking instructions to go full speed ahead. “Kaito, Ryoma, Gonta! Get some wind in our sails! Miu and Tenko, get the anchors ready. Keebo, see if you can get a layout of the island from above,”

The crew got to work, getting the ship ready as fast as they could. The time limit was looming over their heads, meaning they had to get in and out before the barrier went back up around the island. 

“Alright, now let’s go over a few things,” Kokichi gathered the crew around the wheel once their tasks were finished. He unfurled the map, with Cosette’s writing on the parchment. “We know there are going to be some kind of trials on this island. Obviously, the pirate lords don’t want us getting to their treasure. Our main priority is to the ring to the vault,”

“From my reading on the Pirate King and Queen, they set these trials up so only a true pirate crew could get through,” Kaito explained, looking around at the crew. “Everyone needs to be on their A-game,”

“I shall help you all as well,” Himiko informed the group, holding onto her staff. “My magic might prove useful,”

“Great,” Kokichi gave his thanks to the girl. “Everyone, let’s get going,” 

They all headed to the rowboats, separating into groups and lowering down into the calm waters below. Shuichi aided Kaito in rowing the boat to the sandy shore not too far away. As they drew closer, they saw bones and skulls sloshing in the small waves. 

“The Pirate King and Queen,” Shuichi mumbled, watching a skull float past. “Who were they?”

“No one really knows,” Kokichi sighed, leaning back in the boat. “They ruled the seas in their prime. Retired to this island with all their wealth. Unfortunately, it seems fate caught up with them in the form of Davy Jones. He killed them,” 

Shuichi looked down at his hand, inspecting the ring. “So how did my father get this?” 

“Remember what you asked when you first came on this ship?” Kokichi looked down at the ring, inspecting the jewel. “If your parents were the Pirate Lords? Maybe you were onto something there,”

“Maybe…” Shuichi mumbled, looking to the island beyond. “Well, we won’t find out just sitting here, huh?” The rowed faster, before landing on the shore. 

The crew stepped out of their boats, walking up the sand towards the forest beyond. Shuichi adjusted the sword at his hip, looking at the wooden sign that greeted them. 

‘Beware: Trials await you in the forest, not for the faint of heart. Prepare ye crew, and say your prayers. This be your last chance to turn around.’

“Well, anyone want to back out now?” Kokichi asked, turning to the crew. They all shook their heads, determination present on their faces. “Alright then. Let’s go,” He led the way, marching into the lush foliage of the forest.

~~~

“Gosh, that captain is so idiotic,” Junko chuckled, looking at The Dice in the distance through her hourglass. “Did he seriously not think we’d follow him?”

“I wouldn’t underestimate Kokichi,” Nagito mumbled his hands on his hips. “You know as well as I that he is a force to be reckoned with, especially when he has his mind made up about something,”

“Yes, but everyone has their weaknesses,” Junko smirked, placing the spyglass in her pockets. “And we know Kokichi’s. Death,”

“What exactly are you planning, Junko?” Nagito narrowed his gaze, trying to figure out her angle. “He fears his own death?”

“He fears his friend’s death,” Junko explained, turning around and walking towards the helm of the ship, Nagito in tow. “If we threaten his crew’s lives, he’ll do whatever we ask,”

“And what about that Shuichi?” Nagito asked, standing next to Junko and looking out on the ship. “The arrangement with Commodore Akamatsu and the Governor was that he'd come back alive,” 

“I wouldn’t dare go back on my word with the governor,” Junko said, placing a hand on her chest. “No, he and the boy have their uses. He will be kept alive,”

“There is something you aren’t telling me and Hajime,” Nagito stepped forward, pointing a threatening finger at Junko’s face. “If this plan is going to work, you need to tell us in full,”

“You’ll get your treasure, and then we’ll part,” Junko hissed, gripping the wheel of her ship. “My plans for after that are just that. My plans. Don’t question me ever again, Nagito. I ended Chiaki's life because you failed. I killed Kazuichi because I was bored,” She gave a glance to The Jabberwock, which was in pace with The Monokuma. “Imagine who I’ll kill next,”

Nagito’s face paled, looking at his ship and seeing Hajime at the helm. He swallowed, before lowering his hand. “Understood, Junko,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! 
> 
> Long time no post. I've been working on my next book, (a MHA reader interest book because my friend requested it and I'm Todoroki trash), and when writing it I finally broke out of my writer's block and went back to this book. I finally got this chapter down, and we are almost at the end, my friends. So, I hope you enjoy :)


	14. Chapter 14

Kokichi cut through the woods, his crew following behind him. To say the forest was dense was an understatement, and if it wasn’t for the bones littering the path, Kokichi was sure they would get lost. 

“Is the first trial ‘don’t get lost’?” Miu grumbled, hitting the bugs and branches from her face. “Because I think we’re failing,”

“Not appreciating the sarcasm, Miu,” Kokichi called over his shoulder. “Just focus on your footing, we don’t know when we’re at the first trial,”

“I sense it is near,” Himiko said, following close behind Tenko. “Dark forces lie ahead. Be careful,” 

Shuichi gripped his sword tighter, his heart racing. Here he was, doing something he has always wanted to do: be a pirate. And yet, all he could think about was how this might be the last time he saw Kokichi. He was seriously considering just staying on The Dice’s crew, but how could he just leave his Uncle high a dry?

“Captain, look,” Kaito pointed to a clearing ahead, a sign driven into the ground. “I think this the start of a trial,” The crew gathered around, leaning down to look at the sign. Behind the sign, was a stone wall, 

‘If ye be true pirates, the stars guide ye ship. Beyond, show your bravery with the blood of the strongman’

“The hell does this mean?” Tenko breathed, placing her hands on her hips. “Strongman? Like Gonta, he’s strong,”

“No, it’s the constellation for Hercules,” Kaito said, walking forward. He grazed the stone wall, his eyes narrowing in concentration. “Blood…” He pulled out his sword, holding it up in the air. 

“Kaito, what are you doing?” Shuichi questioned, walking forward towards his friend. 

Kaito brought the sword down to his hand, slicing it so that blood drew on his palm. He placed the sword back into his belt, and dabbed some blood on his free hand. Turning to the rock, Kaito traced something on the rock. 

“I’m drawing the constellation for Hercules, and if I’m right…” Kaito stopped as he completed the drawing. The rocks began to rumble, before crumpling to the ground and revealing a cave lined with torches. “Something like that should happen,”

“Awesome job, Kaito,” Kokichi nodded, taking a step into the cave. “Now, let’s get this party-” 

Kokichi’s foot hit a pressure plate, and screeches were heard around them. From the ground near the sign, hands began popping up from the ground, digging at the dirt. Skeletal pirates began popping up, drawing closer towards the crew. 

“You all go on ahead,” Maki stepped forward, drawing her sword and standing up against the encroaching pirates. “This is only trying to slow us down. You need to get to the treasure,”

“Maki, no!” Shuichi yelled, reaching for his sword. “You can’t beat all these pirates, so I’ll help!”

“Nah, Shuichi,” Kaito drew his sword, moving to stand next to Maki. “You have to get to the treasure with the captain. I’ll help Maki Roll,” 

Shuichi looked between his two friends, his heart racing. He didn’t want to leave them behind, but he knew they had to keep going. He felt something warm in his hand, and looked over, seeing Kokichi. 

“They got this. So let’s go,” He whispered, staring up at Shuichi. 

“Shuichi, I’ll be fine, just go!” Maki called out, taking down a skeleton in one swift movement. “Get to the treasure, we’ll catch up!”

Reluctantly, the rest of the crew ran through the cave, leaving Maki and Kaito to fend off the skeletons behind them. The torches lit the way through the cave, the air becoming thicker and thicker as they traveled. 

“Does this ever end?” Miu groaned, running alongside Keebo. “Does anyone see an exit or anything?” 

“Gonta think this another test,” the giant man spoke up, stopping in the middle of the cave. “Noticed bugs crawling in weird directions,”

“And you didn’t think to say something earlier?!?” Kokichi sighed, shaking his head. “We’ve been wasting all this time, and you noticed something,”

“Gonta, what did you notice?” Shuichi asked calmly, walking over to him. 

“Look at bugs,” Gonta kneeled down, pointing at the path the insects were taking. “These bugs travel towards the sunlight. The go through this crack, meaning sunlight is on the other side,”

“You think this cave is endless?” Kokichi questioned, knocking on the wall of the cave. “Oh! It’s hollow!”

“It must be a fake rock wall,” Keebo noted, knocking on the wall as well. “People use those to trap people in mazes. I think we should bust through the wall,” 

“Well, let’s get knocking,” Kokichi turned to the group, cracking his knuckles. “On the count of three, I want everyone to hit the wall, if we get enough force we can-”

“No need, Captain,” Tenko smirked, stepping forward. She sized up the wall, before swinging her leg back and swiftly kicking the wall. 

Immediately, the wall crumbled, sunlight pouring in and blinding the crew. That sunlight was short lived as a large shadow began to block the sun. 

“What is that?” Himiko gasped, pointing up at the shadow. 

“It’s a giant bug!” Ryoma drew his sword, pointing it at the bug, “Gonta, can you do something?”

The bug came into view, a giant caterpillar looming above. It had beady green eyes and some sort of substance dripping from its mouth. It screeched, waving its tiny arms in the air. Ryoma took a jab at it, but the sword just bounced off the hard skin. 

“Stop, don’t hurt it!” Gonta moved in front of the bug, raising his arms at the bug. “My friend, calm down. We do not want to harm you,” 

“Himiko, can’t you evaporate that thing?” Kokichi wheeled around, looking at the short mage. “Weapons won’t work,”

“It’s not a normal bug,” Himiko gripped her staff, her hands shaking. “My magic won’t have much effect,”

“This is no use!” Miu cried, throwing her head back. “This thing won’t let us go around him!”

“Uh, guys,” Shuichi waved his hands, getting everyone’s attention. “Gonta stopped the bug,”

Everyone turned, seeing Gonta petting the top of the caterpillar’s giant head. The bug looked content, it’s body wrapping Gonta inside, it’s eyes closed. 

“Bug was just startled we broke wall,” Gonta smiled, looking at the caterpillar with affection. “I got him to sleep so you can pass. I will stay with bug and keep calm for when Kaito and Maki return,”

“Gonta, I love you,” Kokichi grinned, placing his hands on his hips. “Thanks for taking care of the bug,”

“Can we keep him?” the giant man grinned, stroking the caterpillar. 

“I think he might crush the ship, bud,” Ryoma chuckled, shaking his head. “He’s a bit bigger than your ones in the closet,”

“Let’s keep moving,” Keebo interrupted the conversation. “We are wasting time,” 

The bid goodbye to Gonta, before heading to the right towards the path into the forest. The forest wasn’t as thick as the other one, but it was still difficult to navigate through. A clearing ahead made them pick up speed, another wooden sign poking from the ground. To the left, a cage with a giant padlock sat with its door open. Ahead, the path was shrouded in a haze fog. 

It read: 'Escaping the cave was no easy feat, but neigh is being a pirate. To pass, you must leave one crew member behind in the cell. The path will clear once the pirate is in the cage. Pick wisely, as they may never return.'

“These people are wackos!” Miu scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “How are we supposed to pick a person to go in the cage to possibly die?” 

“Kokichi and Shuichi obviously can’t go in,” Keebo pondered, sizing up the cage. “Neither can Himiko, as we don’t know if we need her magic in the future. Miu can be useful in mechanical challenges, and Tenko has the brute strength we need. Based on those factors, I think-”

“I’ll do it,” Ryoma offered, stepping towards the cage. 

“What! Ryoma, you can’t!” Shuichi tried to stop the man, but his efforts were futile as he stepped in the cage. “We can find another way to get past the trial without sacrificing a friend!”

“We haven’t known each other for very long, Shuichi,” Ryoma closed the cage door, reaching between the bars and locking the padlock. “But I can escape from any cage, so this is nothing,”

“It’s true,” Kokichi nodded, looking at Ryoma through the bars. “When I said I saved Ryoma from execution at the gallows, I lied. He actually saved me,” Kokichi turned to look at Shuichi. “I know that you don’t want anyone getting hurt, and neither do I. But I know my crew, and if they say they can do something, they can do something,”

“But-”

“Have faith, Shuichi,” Kokichi placed a hand on his shoulder. “We will all be okay. I would never abandon my crew forever,”

“And besides,” Ryoma smirked, taking out a tooth pick and placing it in his mouth. “I’ve broken out of the Tower of London. I can escape from a small cage,”

“Let’s keep moving,” Keebo noted, pointing at the path ahead that was now cleared. 

They continued on, their numbers slowly diminishing. It wasn’t that Shuichi was scared, in fact, he never felt safer being around the Captain and his crew, but it was much easier to get through the trials with options. 

“These trials have been pretty easy so far,” Tenko smirked, her hands behind her head. “I thought these Pirate Lords were supposed to be super bad ass,”

“Don’t say that, Tenko!” Himiko tsked, hitting the girl on the head with her staff. “I sense evil nearby. We best not anger whatever lurks ahead,”

“Whatever,” Tenko shrugged, yawning slightly. “I can take on whatever evil-” She went silent, stopping mid step, her eyes wide. 

“Tenko?” Kokichi asked, turning around to face the girl. “What’s wrong? Why are you frozen?”

“I-I… I don’t…” Tenko stammered, until she collapsed on the ground, her body limp. 

“Tenko!” Shuichi yelled, rushing down to help the girl. He was stopped by Himiko, the girl sticking out her staff. 

“Do not touch her, Shuichi,” Himiko warned, her expression serious. “Look,” She pointed at Tenko’s neck, a small purple stream spreading throughout her veins. “That is a nightshade dart. Its poison can spread through touch,”

“Is she going to be OK?” Kokichi asked, looking between Himiko and Tenko. “Do we need to get her back to the ship? Like I said, I won’t abandon my crew, and if that means blowing off this whole thing…”

“No, you keep going on ahead,” Himiko nodded, raising her staff in the air. “I can heal her with my magic, and get the poison down to a manageable level. By the time you get back this way, I think I can get her at least strong enough to walk,”

“Do you need someone to aid you, Himiko?” Keebo asked the witch. “I don’t mind staying to protect you,”

“Like you said earlier, we don’t know what’s up ahead,” Himiko smiled, waving her staff over Tenko. “You need to continue on with Miu, Shuichi, and the Captain. If anyone else comes this way, I’ll direct them in your direction,”

“Thank you, Himiko,” Kokichi nodded, adjusting his hat. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for us, and promise to give you treasure for your troubles,”

“Oh, I don’t need treasure. I’ve gained something way more valuable,” Himiko gave a small smile, looking down at Tenko. “A friend,” 

Shuichi grinned, getting back up onto his feet. “We shall see you soon, Himiko,” 

Kokichi, Miu, and Keebo began their walk into the woods, and Shuichi made to follow them when Himiko grabbed his arm. 

“Be careful, Shuichi,” Himiko warned, her voice quiet and deep. “I sense trouble for you ahead, but the spirits of this place cloud it all,”

“I’ll be okay,” Shuichi assured her, gripping his sword. “I’m with you all and Kokichi. If we’re all together on this island, I know help isn’t far beyond,”

Himiko let go of his arm, allowing him to follow after the other three. They weren’t far down the path, the foliage becoming less and less. They traveled up the path, leading up to a giant mansion on the hill. It looked like the mansion Shuichi lived in, but like it hadn’t been cleaned in years. 

“Look, another sign,” Miu pointed towards some stacked boxes a few feet away from them. “Do you think it’s the last trial,”

“I hope so,” Kokichi complained, shuffling over to the sign. “I’m tired, and this island is to forest-y,”

“We have a problem,” Keebo said, crouching down in front of the sign. Everyone gathered around him, looking at the sign. “This sign is cut off. It says; ‘To open the door’ and that’s it. It doesn’t say how. The other words have been eroded off,”

“How hard can it be to open a door?” Miu scoffed, walking towards the mansion.

The other followed, walking up the steps to the mansion door. The door was large and metal, looming over them. Miu pushed the door, but it wouldn’t budge. 

“That’s not good,” Shuichi frowned, looking around the front of the mansion. “It looks like the windows are boarded up to,”

“How are we going to get through then?” Kokichi knocked on the door, before looking around at his remaining crew. “I don’t think anyone’s been here for a long time,”

“I got it!” Miu clicked her tongue, looking out onto the yard. She was pointing at something near the boxes. “There’s a cannon there. I can wheel it to the front of the mansion steps and blast the door. I’ll need some gunpowder and a makeshift canon ball…”

“We’ll look around,” Keebo offered, turning to Shuichi. “And I’m sure Shuichi here can help you with the canon. He’s been doing that a lot lately, if I recall,”

“Yeah, totally,” the man nodded. “I’ll help anyway I can,”

With that, they broke apart. Shuichi and Miu made their way over to the cannon, dragging it to the front steps. It was an old canon, but it would do the job. Miu angled it up, before looking at the cannon to make sure it would actually work. 

Miu was mumbling to herself, looking at the different canon parts. “You’ll all need to hid behind those boxes when I light this,”

“What? Why?” Shuichi asked, cocking his head to the side. “Can’t we just stand off to the side?”

“This canon is old, there’s no telling what it will do,” Miu informed him, adjusting the angle of the canon. “When I light it, I’ll run,” 

“Okay…” Shuichi nodded, standing up from the ground. Miu wasn’t telling him something, but he wasn’t sure what. 

Kokichi and Keebo came back soon after, carrying a bag of gunpowder and a giant rock. They set up the canon, getting it ready to set off. 

“Ok, now go behind the boxes,”Miu instructed, striking up a match.

“Miu,” Keebo’s voice was hesitant, him hand reaching out for the woman. “Are you sure this is safe?”

“Fifty-fifty,” Miu sighed, turning to look Keebo in the eye. “Now go, get behind the boxes and get ready to get our treasure!”

The three men ran towards the boxes, crouching behind them and watching Miu. The girl bent down, lighting up the short wick. As soon as she did, she took off running towards the forest, but she was too slow. The cannon exploded, sending Miu flying towards the ground in one direction, and the rock bursting through the door in the other. 

“Miu!” Keebo yelled, running out from behind the boxes and over towards the girl. “Miu!”

“What happened?” Kokichi ran after him, followed closely behind by Shuichi. “Why did it explode?”

Keebo held Miu in his arms, trying to search for a pulse. His eyes were panicked as he leaned his ear to her chest. 

“S-She’s alive, but barely,” Keebo breathed a sigh of relief, holding her close. “But I need to get her some first aid,”

“Miu…” Shuichi reached down, picking up a wadding piece of the cannon. It was broken and bent, obviously the source of the explosion. “She knew this canon wasn’t safe to fire, yet she did it anyways,”

“God damn it, you harlot,” Kokichi frowned, looking down at Miu’s limp form. “You don’t know when enough is enough,”

“I’ll head back to the ship, you two continue on,” Keebo lifted Miu up bridal style, getting a bit of blood on his pristine jacket. “I’ll tell the others to look for the mansion when I pass them,”

“Make sure Miu lives,” Kokichi nodded, glancing between Miu and Keebo. “When she wakes, I’m buying her some golden cannon balls,”

“Roger, Captain,” Keebo nodded, before turning on his heels and heading down the path, back towards the ship. 

“And then there were two,” Kokichi breathed, staring up at Shuichi. “Are you ready?”

Shuichi stared down at his bright purple eyes, feeling his heart beat faster and faster. “Y-Yes. I’m ready,”

Kokichi grinned, grabbing Shuichi’s hand and pulling him up the stairs of the mansion. The rock and busted a big hole through the metal door, allowing them to step through. The inside of the mansion was eerie and dark, but almost an identical match to Shuichi’s house. The furniture was clawed and destroyed, knocked over every which way. 

“Seems like a fight went on at some point in here,” Kokichi noted, looking at the shattered vase on the ground. “This is definitely not what I was expecting for the Pirate Lord’s lair,”

Shuichi took in the house, looking at the staircase and doors above. Something was pulling him up the stairs, like a familiar twinge in the back of his head. He walked forward, Kokichi’s hand still in his grasp. They walked up the stairs, Shuichi’s feet carrying him towards where he room would be. 

“Shuichi? What’s wrong?” Kokichi asked, looking up at the man. “Do you think the treasure is up here?”

“I don’t know,” Shuichi mumbled, standing in front of a door. “I just… have a hunch,” He let go of Kokichi’s hand, raising the ring to the door. There was a small grove in the knob, where he delicately placed the jewel of the ring into the knob. He turned it, hearing a clicking sound.

“You found it!” Kokichi grinned, pushing open the door. “The treasure! We found the-”

He stopped, his face falling slightly. Shuichi stepped into the room, looking around. A small was overturned in the middle of the room, a mobile hanging from the ceiling above. Other baby furniture lay destroyed about, the walls clawed and ripped. Against the wall lay two skeletons, stabbed through the ribs with swords, their hands clasped together. One had on a ruby red jacket, the other had on a white night gown. It was truly a disturbing sight. 

Shuichi moved towards the crib, kneeling down and picking up a small blanket. It was white, with a fine silk that was soft to the touch. He held it in his hands, inspecting the fabric. His hand felt some different material, that felt more like yarn. Shuichi turned the blanket in his hands, looking at the yarn. 

Etched on the blanket in a navy yarn was a name. His name. Shuichi.


	15. Chapter 15

Shuichi held his breath, looking down at the blanket then at the two skeletons. He was the Pirate Lord’s, the most powerful and fearsome pirates in all the land, son. One part of his brain was going haywire, trying to make sense of what was going on. The other part was blank, unmoving and unfeeling. 

“Shuichi? Are you okay?” Kokichi asked, walking over to the frozen man and placing a hand on his shoulder. 

“I… I’m the Pirate Lord’s treasure,” he mumbled, looking down at the blanket in his hands. “I’m their son,”

Kokichi peered down at the blanket, taking in the situation. “Oh my gosh,” he mumbled, placing a hand over his mouth. “You’re their kid,”

Shuichi clenched his hand into a fist, a sudden anger flooding his sense. “I feel… I feel lied to. Why didn’t my uncle tell me? I’ve loved the sea my entire life, and I just can’t believe he wouldn’t tell me this!”

“Playing devil’s advocate for a moment,” Kokichi cut in, gesturing over towards the two skeletons. “I think he had a good reason not to tell you. You’re the son of the Pirate Lords, and that title itself comes with a hefty target on your back. As much as you feel lied to, he did it to keep you safe,”

Shuichi pursed his lips, knowing that Kokichi was right. The governor always did have Shuichi’s best interest at heart, even when making less than ideal decisions. Still, it stung that a huge part of his identity was forgotten about. 

“Captain, I’m so sorry,” Shuichi frowned, shuffling on the floor. “You and your crew came all this way for gold and jewels, only to see the treasure was some loser boy from a stupid island, who I guess is the Pirate Lord’s air, if that amounts to anything,” He sighed, draping the blanket over the crib. “You all went through all that trouble for nothing,”

“Nishishi~ Shumai, you’re so stupid,” Kokichi laughed, giving Shuichi a big smile. “I’m positive no one will get mad that the treasure wasn’t gold and jewels. Listen,” Kokichi trailed his hand down Shuichi’s arm, before grasping his hand. “Junko has taken so much from me and my crew, so we decided to go after the Pirate Lord’s treasure to finally get something from her first. It might not be what we expected, but we got something she doesn’t,”

“What do you mean?” Shuichi questioned, his face heating up. 

“I got the Pirate Lord’s treasure,” Kokichi smirked, his bright purple eyes fixed on Shuichi. “I got you,”

Shuichi felt his heart rate increase to a pace that felt like it would burst from his chest. He stammered like an idiot, hiding his face in his free hand. Shuichi shuffled his feet, before his eyes went wide.

“Kokichi shouldn’t the crew be here by now? I mean, at least Maki and Kaito should at this point, right?” Shuichi said, looking rather panicked. 

Kokichi glanced out the bay window, trying to see if the crew was on their way. True, it had been a while. He thought at least someone would show up by now. The captain pursed his lips, growing a tad more anxious. 

“Let’s head down and collect them,” Kokichi nodded, taking a step towards the door. “We don’t need them all to lift you back to the ship. This treasure is cheap to transport,”

Shuichi giggled like a school girl, internally slapping himself for it. If someone had told him last month he would be where he was right now, he wouldn’t believe it. Shuichi followed the captain out, still holding the small blanket in his hands. 

“So,” Kokichi began once they exited the mansion. “Have you given any thought to my offer the other day? About you staying on board the Dice?”

Shuichi bit his lip, looking down at the blanket, then up at Kokichi. “I know this is the perfect out for me to join your crew and sail the seas like I’ve always wanted,” 

“But you want to stay for your Uncle?” Kokichi nodded in understanding, still looking rather dejected. “I get it. Well, once we round everyone up, we can set sail for your home and-”

“You didn’t let me finish,” Shuichi laughed as they headed back into the jungle. “I don’t want to go home, but I still need answers, answers only my Uncle can provide. So, after I take a quick pit stop back home, I guess you’re stuck with me, Captain,”

Shuichi looked to his side, seeing Kokichi giving the biggest smile she had ever seen. It gave the noble boy butterflies in his stomach, the kind you never want to go away. He couldn’t deny now that he was absolutely, undeniably smitten with the short captain. 

“Oh, but one more thing,” Shuichi let out a sigh, adjusting his vest. “If I come on board, Maki comes on board,”

Like the sly captain he was, Kokichi slipped his hand into Shuichi’s squeezing it tight. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” 

The two arrived at the spot where they had left Himiko and Tenko, seeing no one. Shuichi looked around, seeing if the mage maybe left a note that she had managed to get Tenko strong enough back to the ship. 

“Think she managed to get Tenko up and walking again?” Kokichi asked, as if reading Shuichi’s mind. 

“Maybe,” Shuichi pursed his lips, looking down at the ground. “But look here,” He trailed his finger over an indent in the dirt. “This looks like someone was dragged,”

“Maybe Himiko dragged Tenko back to the ship?” Kokichi scratched his chin. “Although, that seems unlikely given her small frame,”

“And this wouldn’t be the trail that Keebo made, as he was carrying Miu back, not dragging her,” Shuichi sighed, looking down the path. “Or maybe Ryoma escaped from his cell and came to help,”

“Well, let’s go see,” Kokichi motioned to the trail, and the two continued their trek back to the ship. 

Soon enough, they arrived back at the cage where they had left Ryoma. As predicted, there was no Ryoma. Shuichi stepped forward, inspecting the cage. It didn’t look like it had been picked, rather, it had been slashed. 

“Sword marks?” Kokichi had moved next to Shuichi, looking at the cage. “That’s not like Ryoma. He would be much more subtle, much more precise,”

“Something is wrong,” Shuichi felt his heart rate increase, worry for the crew growing with every second. “This all just feels wrong,” Shuichi whipped around, speed walking down the path towards where they had broken the wall and found the caterpillar. “Let’s ask Gonta. He’ll surely still be with the bug,”

Kokichi followed closely behind, trying to keep as calm as possible while Shuichi seemed to begin to spiral out of control. 

Shuichi’s concerns were confirmed as they found that Gonta was nowhere to be seen, but the corpse of the giant caterpillar was dead on the ground. Kokichi stepped forward as Shuichi clasped the blanket in his hands a little harder, taking in the scene. 

“More sword marks. The same sword, by the looks of it,” Kokichi frowned, kneeling down next to the caterpillar. 

“M-Maybe it was Kaito,” Shuichi nodded, looking towards the cave wall. “Maybe him and Maki got here, and killed the bug, and then helped the others,” Shuichi grinned, looking hopeful. “Yeah! That has to be it!”

“Shuichi,” Kokichi walked over, his eyes a bit panicked now. “Kaito wouldn’t kill the bug if Gonta said not to. Ryoma wouldn’t break out of a cage using a sword, and he wouldn’t have someone else do it for him. Himiko couldn’t have dragged Tenko this far without help,” Kokichi looked towards the cave. “We need to get back to the shore,” 

The two broke into a sprint, running through the cave and down the path back towards where Kaito and Maki had been. Once they reached the end of the cave, the skeletons remained laid around the entrance, and no sign of the crew. Kokichi and Shuichi continued there back down the path to the shore, worry and heart rate increasing with each step. 

“I see people!” Shuichi yelled, pointing at the clearing where figures stood. “They’re all okay! Look, they’re waiting for us!” Shuichi grinned, picking up his pace even more. 

“Shuichi!” Kokichi called after him, but the man ignored him. “We don’t know-”

Shuichi felt himself grabbed from behind, a cool metal placed on his neck. His arms were pinned behind him, making it difficult to move.

“So, we finally meet, Shuichi Saihara,” a woman’s voice coated with malice said into his ear. “I’ve heard so much about you,” 

Shuichi moved his eyes to the side, his heart stopping. The wanted posters were spot on, depicting the pure evil seeping from Junko Enoshima’s eyes. She was a terrifying sight. 

“Shuichi, don’t move!” Maki yelled from her spot on the ground. Her body was laid flat on the dirt, being pinned down by a girl with short black hair, Mukuro. “Don’t do anything to provoke them,”\

Shuichi eyed the scene around him. Along with Maki, Kaito was being held by a girl with braids with scissors to his neck that Shuichi recognized as Toko. Miu and Tenko were both still knocked out from their different ailments, but tied up against a tree next to Himiko. Gonta was being restrained by Tsumugi and Korekiyo, while Keebo and Ryoma were being held by Nagito and Hajime respectively. 

“Oh! And look who it is, following like a lost puppy!” Junko sneered, watching as Kokichi entered the clearing. “Captain Kokichi. Long time no see,”

Kokichi’s face paled as he looked around, before immediately contorting to one of pure anger. “Junko you bitch!” He yelled, reaching for his sword. 

“Oh, be careful of your choice of words, Captain,” Junko giggled, flexing her sword against Shuichi’s throat. “I seem to have a wide advantage here. Your crew is apprehended, and we have your ship surrounded by the Monokuma, the Jabborwock, and some of the Royal Navy!” A smirk formed on her face. “And we both know you don’t kill,”

“How did you follow us?” Kokichi growled, lowering his hand, trying to remain as calm as possible. “You didn’t have the map, unless there was a copy I didn’t know about,”

“I guess you could say there was a copy,” Junko shrugged, before nodding to someone. “More of a mental copy,” 

Mikan stepped out from behind a tree, a bound Cosette being pulled along with her. Cosette looked absolutely terrible, with bruises and dried blood on her face. 

“Cosette!” Shuichi called out, looking at the ex-pirate. 

“I’m sorry Kokichi, Shuichi, all of you,” Cosette choked, tears forming in her eyes. “They were gonna kill my daughter, I just- I couldn’t let them,” 

“It’s not your fault,” Shuichi assured her, but was quickly shut up as Junko pushed the knife against his throat again. 

“So, here’s how this is gonna go,” Junko announced, looking towards the Captain. “You have two options, because I am so generous,” She cocked her head towards the ocean on the ground. “Option one, you go free with your crew and we take Shuichi here back to his home and collect our reward. Or, option two, which is my personal favorite, you get to sail off with your little boyfriend and we get to kill your crew!” 

Kokichi felt her heart stop. He looked between Shuichi and his crew on the ground. Only moments ago, he had felt the hole in his heart fill when Shuichi promised to join his crew. He had finally found the thing he had been looking for his entire life, and now it was going to be taken away. Kokichi had found a family, and he had found love. Either way, his heart was going to shatter. 

“I’m so sorry,” Kokichi looked up at Shuichi, tears in his eyes. “Shuichi, I am so sorry,” 

“Aww, option one,” Junko frowned, binding Shuichi’s hands together. “You’re no fun,” She pushed Shuichi towards the beach, still grinning like a madman. 

“Shuichi!” Maki yelled, her voice hoarse as she watched the man get dragged towards the boat. “Kokichi, do something!”

“I-I… I can’t. I don't want bloodshed,” Kokichi choked out, watching Shuichi stare back at him. “But I’ll come back for you, Shuichi. I promise, I’ll always come back to save you,” 

“I don’t doubt that,” Shuichi gave a small smile, a tear going down his eye. 

“Oh, that reminds me,” Junko pursed her lips, before reaching on her belt loop. She raised a gun to the sky, a shot ringing throughout the sky. 

In the distance, cannons were heard on the ocean. Kokichi watched in horror as the Dice was bombarded with rounds, his beloved beginning to dip in the ocean. Kokichi crumpled to the ground, looking absolutely defeated. Shuichi tried to call out to him, but it was useless. Everyone else began yelling, struggling, and trying to fight against their captors. 

“EVERYONE SHUT IT OR I’LL KILL HIM,” Junko yelled, moving the sword once again against his neck. Everyone grew silent, scared to even breathe. “Crew, get in, and leave the Cosette here. The rest, if any of you move, I’ll kill your friend here,” 

Everyone was quiet as the crew of the Monokuma and the present members of the Jabberwock retreated into their boats. It was eerily silent, the tension in the air so thick, a sword couldn’t pierce it. 

“Maki, take care of the Captain,” Shuichi choked out, allowing himself to be dragged into the boat. “And Captain, thank you for everything. You and your crew have given me something I have always wanted. Kokichi, you have made my life worth living, and… and I lo-”

A thud was heard, and Shuichi was knocked out from behind. Mukuro was standing over him, her hand raised. 

“It was getting too sappy, so I knocked him out,” She deadpanned, looking around at the crew on the beach. 

“You bitch,” Maki growled, standing up and marching forward. 

“Don’t move another step,” Mukuro raised her sword, just as the boat began to row away. “Do not make another attempt to come for us until you can’t see our ship anymore. Although, you couldn’t if you tried,”

“It’s a bummer we didn’t get to kill anyone,” Junko frowned as they slowly moved away from the beach. Without a second though, she whipped around, driving a sword through Mikan’s chest, the girl letting out a scream. 

“No!” Hajime screamed, watching the girl’s bloody corpse fall into the ocean. 

“Junko! What the hell!” Nagito yelled, clutching onto Hajime. “She didn’t do anything!”

“Bloodlust, I guess,” Junko shrugged, putting his sword back in it’s holder. She turned back to the shore, waving excitedly. “Bye Kokichi! I’ll send a pigeon with drawings of your boyfriend's wedding to the Commodore! I’m sure he would want that!”

Kokichi was still frozen on the ground, watching the Dice sink further and further into the ocean’s depths. Maki and Kaito stood at the edge of the shore, watching the row boat disappear from view. 

“How did this happen,” Ryoma mumbled, moving next to Maki. “How did it go so wrong, so fast,”

“I don’t know,” Kaito said, his voice quiet. 

“Gonta, come help me, please,” Keebo yelled from behind them. “I need you to apply pressure to Miu’s wound while I check on Cosette,” 

“Captain,” Himiko was yelling, trying to shake Kokichi out of his trance. “Captain, what do we do? We have two injured crew members, and Tenko needs food to get her strength back! We need your guidance, please!”

Kokichi just stared at the sea, showing no sign of moving anytime soon. 

Maki looked down, seeing something floating in the waves. She reached down, picking up the soft blanket. She inspected it, feeling an engraving in a corner. She flipped the blanket around, reading the sewing. 

“We have to get him back,” Maki thumbed over the name on the blanket. “We have to save Shuichi,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back! 
> 
> I am so sorry I have been flaky with the updates, but work has been absolutely crazy! We're almost done, however, which is super exciting. Although, I am sorry for making my loves feel this much pain. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


	16. Chapter 16

His entire life, Rantaro was told to follow orders, that there was a hierarchy that he must respect. Parents were above the children, the rich were above the poor, and the king was above his subjects. Training to be part of the elite guard only enforced these ideals in his mind. He never questioned it, until he met Shuichi. 

Shuichi always questioned things, always searched for a new adventure, and always challenged the status quo. Being around him made a person think twice about their beliefs. When Rantaro was assigned to be one of Shuichi’s guards, it opened his eyes. Shuichi believed that everyone should have opportunities, even Rantaro. 

Commodore Kaede was almost the polar opposite of Shuichi. She never challenged, never questioned, she was the perfect officer. Rantaro was always cordial with Kaede, but he believed she was a fool for following the Governor’s orders blindly. When Shuichi was brought on board, Kaede had him sent to the hold so he wouldn't try to jump ship. 

“Shuichi?” Rantaro stepped down into the hold of the Royal Navy’s flagship. “I brought you some food,”

The holding cell was dimly lit, barely illuminating Shuichi’s slumped figure in the cell. Rantaro approached hesitantly, before kneeling down and sliding the food tray down through the crack. 

“I’m sorry,” Rantaro mumbled, leaning his head on the bar. “I’m sorry that this has happened to you. I wish things were different,” 

“Rantaro, do you believe in love?”

Rantaro looked up, eyes wide. “I mean… I think I do,”

“Well, because I found it,” Shuichi turned around, his eyes cold, a coldness Rantaro hadn’t seen before. “I found my love of the sea, for being out in the open with a freedom I never thought possible. I found my real family in the crew, who made me laugh and filled me with joy. And I found love in a stupid Captain who made my life worth living and made me feel like I could do anything,” Shuichi slammed his fist against the cell bars. “And it was ripped away,” 

Rantaro wasn’t sure what to say. Once again, Shuichi flipped all preconceived notions Rantaro had on their heads. And he felt terrible, as he was a part of the reason why Shuichi felt like this.

“Himiko, Ryoma, Tenko, Gonta, Keebo, Miu, Kaito, Maki, Kokichi… they all are going to die on that island. Cosette will die and won’t see her daughter,” Shuichi stood up, before moving to lie in the hammock. “I wish I was with them. I wish I could die with them. This fate I was just given is a much crueler one,”

Rantaro felt his heart break. Shuichi had been such a beacon of light in Rantaro’s life, and it was being snuffed out. “I am sorry,” Is all Rantaro could manage to say. 

Shuichi glanced over from the hammock at Rantaro. “Promise me, Rantaro, when you find the thing that makes you happy, fight like hell to keep it,”

The guard nodded, watching his friend turn his back on him leaving the food untouched. Rantaro stepped back, and ran up the steps. He had to do something. Shuichi had always given, and never received. He didn’t deserve this punishment. 

“Commodore Akamatsu, may I speak with you,” Rantaro asked, as Kaede spoke with another officer. 

“Of course,” Kaede nodded, excusing herself from her conversation and leading Rantaro to the bow of the ship. “What’s the matter?”

“It’s Shuichi, ma’am,” Rantaro sighed, staring back at the hold trap door. “As one of his guards, I must have his best interest at heart, and it’s not this. He won’t be happy if we take him back to Port Morsey knowing we sent his friends to their death,”

“If you’re going to say something, please say it. Don’t dance around you request, Officer,” Kaede deadpanned, clearly unamused by the conversation. 

“I think, once we get back, we should send a ship to retrieve his friends. Give them a chance to live,” Rantaro said, his form at attention. 

“No,”

“What?” Rantaro stammered in shock. “Commodore, you didn’t even consider-”

“They are pirates, they don’t deserve a second chance. They kidnapped Shuichi once, who’s to say they won’t again,” Kaede explained, turning away from Rantaro. “Besides, he will be much happier once we return and the wedding arrangements begin,” 

“The way he explains it, he wasn’t kidnapped. He seems to have gone willingly. Also, Maki is still over there. Are we going to leave one of our own?” Rantaro clenched his fist, his anger growing. “You’re being a hypocrite right now, Kaede. You send these pirates who gave something to Shuichi you never could to their death, while you trust Junko Enoshima, who we know has killed countless,” 

“I won’t tolerate this talk any longer,” Kaede snapped, her voice getting loud. “You are out of line here, Officer. Do not question my judgement again,”

Rantaro narrowed his eyes, before turning on his heels and heading to the back of the ship. Everyone was blindly following orders, did no one actually care about the outcome of their actions? Did pleasing the Governor and the Commodore really matter if Shuichi wasn’t happy? 

“You mad too?” 

Rantaro turned, seeing a woman with blonde hair leaning against the railing. She wasn’t wearing a Royal Navy uniform, her green dress with red and white stockings giving the impression she was a pirate. 

“Sorry, I should introduce myself,” the woman stuck out her hand, smiling sweetly. “I’m Sonia Nevermind, part of the Jabborwock’s crew,”

“Oh, um, Rantaro Amami,” He accepted her hand, shaking it. “And yes, I guess you could say I’m irritated,”

“Our crew is feeling on edge as well. Honestly, I’m not even sure why we agreed to help Junko. This… this wasn’t worth the lives lost,” Sonia sighed, crossing her hands over her chest. 

“I feel the same,” Rantaro agreed, nodding along. “I mean, we haven’t lost anyone on our end yet, but I fear we may lose the thing we were trying to get back,” 

“The Governor’s son? Why?” Sonia questioned, cocking her head to the side. “Is he ill?”

“No, more heartbroken,” Rantaro confessed, unsure why he was sharing this to a stranger. “He was happier with them. He found love in more than one way, and we’re taking him away from that,”

“That’s terrible,” Sonia gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth. “Let’s hope Shuichi and his love don’t turn out like our captains,” 

“What do you mean?” Rantaro raised an eyebrow, confused. “Do you not like your captains?”

“Oh, no, not at all! They are great!” Sonia laughed, waving her hands in front of her face. “I mean, their path to piracy began similar to what’s happening to Shuichi. They were of differing class, Nagito being a well off son of a merchant, while Hajime was a poor fisherman’s son. They wanted to marry, but their small island was very strict with hierarchy and religion. One day, they were caught, and Hajime being poor was sent to the gallows to be hanged. Nagito freed him and they sought vengance, and the two killed everyone but two people; their friends Souda and Chiaki, who unfortunately died,”

“That’s terrible,” Rantaro stammered, the terrible story affecting his very core. “Love drove them to do that?”

“Love is a powerful force,” Sonia smiled, looking longingly at the Jabberwock. “I just hope Shuichi’s story doesn’t become as gruesome as theirs was. And so far, unnecessary bodies are being tacked on to this tale,”

Rantaro looked at the Jabberwock, seeing Nagito and Hajime standing out the helm, hand and hand. “They seem content now,”

“I think they’re just happy the other is alive after today. We lost another member of our crew,” Sonia frowned, wringing her hands together. “Mikan. She was a good pirate and friend. Always wanting to help in any way she could,” Sonia turned to face Rantaro, fear in her eyes. “I can’t take anymore death, Officer Rantaro. Royal Navy deaths, death of my friends, the death of Kokichi’s crew on that island. I just can’t. It’s not worth it,”

Rantaro looked up, his eyes wide. “What if we could stop the death, and save Shuichi from the same fate as your Captain’s?”

“How?” Sonia clasped Rantaro’s hands together, the fear being replaced by some hope. “Please, tell me!”

“Take me to see your captains,” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Miu is stable, and eating some mashed berries Himiko found. Tenko is ok, she helped Himiko get the berries, and Cosette seems fine, but understandably distraught,” Keebo sighed, running his hand through his hair. “Thank god this mansion is still here, even if it is battered,”

“How’s the Captain,” Kaito asked, running his hand through his hair. “It’s been almost six hours since he spoke last,”

“Still just staring at the blanket,” Maki frowned, looking down at the charts on the battered desk. “But we have more pressing matters to deal with, and that’s getting of this island before the cloak falls back over it and we’re tapped,”

“And Himiko said she can’t lift it from inside the island?” Ryoma questioned from the end of the table. 

“It’s not that she can’t, it’s that we don’t have the materials on this island to do that,” Maki explained, flicking through the papers. ‘I’m hoping to find something in the Pirate Lord’s notes. I mean, it’s not like they always had a mage on hand, right?”

“There’s got to be something we’re missing,” Kaito slammed his hand on the table in frustration. “I wish we could see the map again, maybe there was something we didn’t read…”

“I can help with that,” Everyone turned, seeing Cosette hobbling down the stairs. “I saw the map. I remember,” 

“Cosette, any help is welcome,” Maki nodded, moving out of the way so Cosette could look at the charts. “We have about eight hours to-”

“She’s not helping,” Kokichi, seemingly broken from his trance, entered the room clutching the blanket. “I won’t let her,”

Kaito stepped forward, placing a hand on Kokichi’s shoulder. “Captain, she remembers the map, so unless you can offer something she can’t…”

“She sold us out to Junko!” Kokichi yelled, raising an accusatory finger towards Cosette. “She’s the reason why Shuichi was taken from us!”

The crew tried to calm him down, but Kokichi wasn’t listening. He just kept yelling and waving his hands in the air. “IT’S YOUR FAULT!”

“You’re seriously going to stand there and say that to her?” Miu stood up from the chair in the back of the room, marching over toward Kokichi. “If you were in this position, what would you do? Oh wait, I think you were,” Miu raised her finger to Kokichi, pushing him back in the chest. “I was out for most of it, but was it not you who decided to make a choice to keep us all alive? Cosette made a choice to keep her loved ones alive, and so did you. Do not get made at her,”

Kokichi’s face fell slightly, yelling stopping. Maki stared between the two, an unspoken conversation seemingly occurring. 

“Cosette, I’m sorry,” Kokichi apologized, removing his hat from his head. “I let my emotion gets the better of me,” 

“It’s okay,” Cosette assured him, giving him a small smile. “You want to get Shuichi back, and I want to get my daughter back. Emotions are high. Let’s just work together to get off this island,” 

Kokichi nodded, and joined the rest of the crew around the table. Cosette poured over the maps and charts with Kokichi, writing and jotting down some notes, while Maki and Kaito poured over the star charts on hand. 

“Ok, we think we’ve got it,” Cosette informed the crew, tipping the quill on the table. “I think there’s a hidden cave or something on the island,”

“Hidden cave?” Ryoma looked at the papers and the writing. “How so?”

“Based on the dimensions present and the distance between the shore and this mansion, there is more island beyond this mansion. Something is there, maybe something that can help get out,” Kokichi reasoned, showing the group the maps and charts. 

“So? Let’s get Tenko and Himiko and find this cave!” Maki announced, grabbing her belt and strapping it back on. 

“Hold on there,” Keebo placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. “Miu and Tenko are still weak to move, and Cosette still needs rest. How about you, Kaito, Gonta, and the Captain find this ship and me and Ryoma will stay here,”

“We’ll come back as soon as we can,” Kaito nodded, rolling up the star charts. “If anything happens, fire off your gun and we’ll come running back,”

Kokichi, Maki, Kaito, and Gonta left through the broken front door, heading around the side of the building. 

“Gonta is worried about Shuichi,” Gonta confessed, shuffled carefully down the steep hill the mansion was on. “Junko is mean, Gonta don’t want Shuichi to die,”

“It’s going to be ok, Gonta,” Maki assured the giant man. “We’re going to get him back, even if it takes us years. We will get him back,”

“It won’t take years,” Kokichi called back from the front of the group. “We can’t leave him waiting that long,”

Maki pursed her lips, but followed Kokichi. The hill began to level out, but the end of it was coming near, the sea in the distance. They arrived at the edge, looking back and seeing the mansion in the distance. Maki and the others peered over the edge to the sea below. 

“I guess we were wrong,” Maki groaned, throwing her head back. “Shit. This isn’t good,”

“No, we did find something! Look!” Kaito pointed at the waves far below. “If this went straight down, the waves would be crashing against the rock. But these waves keep going. There’s a cave of opening down there,”

“How do we get down?” Kokichi questioned, kneeling down and trying to get a peak. “We can’t get everyone down there, we can’t even get ourselves down there,”

A yelp caught their attention. The three turned, seeing Gonta’s left foot sunk into the ground. Next to him, a rock sliding open and revealing a staircase. 

“Good job Gonta,” Kaito grinned, looking down the spiral staircase. “Looks like you found our entrance,”

Kokichi led the way, the rest following as they traveled down the dark stairs. Everyone was hoping there would be something to help the crew get back to Shuichi, even if it was a dingy. A light began to appear at the end, something glittering against it. 

“Holy hell!” 

Everyone stared at amazement, looking at the sight before them. A giant ship sat in the cavern, the bow sparkling in the sunlight. It was a gorgeous ship, one that would make all other pirates envious. 

“This must be the Pirate Lords ship, Harmony Killer,” Kokichi mused, staring up at the ship. “I thought it had sunk!” 

“This is great,” Maki grinned, running forward to climb up into the ship. “We can use this ship to sail to Port Morsey, we can get Shuichi back!” 

“Not so fast, Maki,” Kaito sighed, jabbing his finger towards the cave entrance. “We’ve got a bit of an obstacle here,” 

Blocking the cave entrance was a glass door, that didn’t look like it was going anywhere anytime soon. 

“Can we knock it down with the cannons on the ship?” Maki asked, looking between the three pirates. 

“Gonta don’t think it safe,” Gonta offered his opinion, looking up at the ship. “Cannons would need cleaning if we fired. We don’t want to get hurt like Miu,”

“And we’d need fresh gunpowder. Who knows how long these barrels have been here,” Kaito ran his hand down his face. “This just keeps getting worse,”

“Well, we have cannonballs at least. We can try and figure out how to break it with those,” Kokichi suggested, but Maki immediately shot it down. 

“We don’t have time to think of a solution to get the ship out. What we needed was this ship to be ready to sail, and to get the injured on the ship,”

“Well, if we’re gonna do something, it needs to be now!” Kaito snapped, looking between Kokichi and Maki. 

The three began yelling out to each other, trying to drown each other out with their voices. Gonta, meanwhile, was trying to calm everyone down, his voice a tad panicked. 

“Please- Friends- Gunshot… STOP!” Gonta yelled, his voice ringing through the cave. Everyone froze, looking at the usually gentle giant. “Friends need to stop yelling. Yelling won’t help. Shuichi wouldn’t want you arguing, he’d want us to think together,” Gonta breathed, his voice back to normal. “And, Gonta heard gunshot, We need to get to mansion,”

“Keebo,” 

Everyone scurried up the stairs, scrambling to get back to the mansion as fast as possible. They all tripped over the branches as they climbed up the steep hill in the hot sun. Different thoughts raced through their heads, thinking of the millions of reasons why Keebo would’ve fired the gun. 

“What’s wrong?” Kokichi yelled, stepping through the broken door. “Is everything ok?” 

“I’m not sure,” Miu said, the woman halfway up the stairs. “I was checking on Tenko with Cosette while Ryoma and Himiko looked for more berries, while Keebo was checking something on the roof. He’s still up there,” 

Kokichi, Maki, and Kaito ran past Miu on the stairs to the roof, while Gonta helped Miu back into a seat. The window to the roof was opening, allowing Kokichi and the others to climb through. 

“Keebo, what’s wrong?” Kaito called out as they hopped onto the roof. “We heard the gunshot in the cave and got here fast,” 

“A ship!” Keebo breathed, pointing out to the ocean on the opposite side of the island. “I came up here to watch you all with my telescope and- Look!” He held out his telescope to Kaito, which he eagerly accepted.

“Which ship is it?” Kaito tried to get a better look at the colors. “They’re flying a white flag, I can’t tell without their colors…”

“Lemme see,” Maki asked, taking the telescope. She looked onto the ship, some figures moving about on deck. “Oh my!” She gasped, rubbing her eyes in disbelief. “It’s Rantaro!”

“Who?” Kokichi questioned, taking the telescope from Maki and peering through. 

“Rantaro, he’s one of Shuichi’s guards!”

“Well, your friend Rantaro better be a really good friend,” Kokichi’s voice got low as he looked through the glass. “Because he’s with Nagito and Hajime,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two updates? In one day? Who is she? 
> 
> I hope this makes up for the months of not writing! We're almost at the end here, friends. I want to thank you if you've stuck with me for this long, and I'm super excited to publish my next work. 
> 
> Because of Mrs. COVID-19, I've gotten into a lot more anime. Danganronpa will always have a special place in my heart as one of my introductions to anime, but the next works will be branching out to other fandoms: My Hero Academia (and do not fret, dear reader, I am not part of the weird section who has all those weird ships and forces their ships onto others), Haikyuu (this was more for my friend then me) and Hunter x Hunter (my personal favorite). 
> 
> As a side project (more of a comfort one if I'm honest), I have written a Todoroki x Reader Insert fic, which is completed with 200,000+ words I will be releasing after this is finished. 
> 
> Once again, thank you for enjoying this fic, and I hope you enjoy!


	17. Chapter 17

“Rantaro!” Maki yelled, running out a few feet into the ocean to meet the small boat that was heading to shore. “Rantaro,”

“Maki, thank the lord you're okay,” Rantaro breathed, jumping out of the boat to meet the woman. “The Commodore, she wanted to just leave you here,”

“I don’t really care about the Commodore right now,” Maki rushed, trying to stress the urgency of the situation. “We need to get back to Shuichi, we need to get off this island,” 

“Is this a rescue, or did Junko send you to finish the job?” Kokichi entered the scene, looking as Nagito, Hajime, and Sonia pulled their dinghy on shore. 

“We don’t answer to Junko anymore,” Hajime walked onto the shore, crossing his arms over his chest. “We’ve lost three crew members to her hand, I won’t have it anymore,”

“We heard about your tale of love from Officer Rantaro,” Nagito added, placing a hand over his chest. “In this moment, doing what is right is more important than any reward or anything Junko might do to us,”

“We want to help you get your Shuichi back,” Sonia smiled, clasping one of Kokichi’s hands in her own. “And we want to get back at Junko for killing our crew members,”

“As much as it pains me to say it, we can’t do it alone,” Hajime pinched the bridge of his nose, looking at Kokichi. “Captain Kokichi, we need your help. We need your help in bringing down Captain Junko,” 

Kokichi stared at the pirates and officers on the shore, eyeing them cautiously. He turned, looking back towards the path leading up to the mansion, where the crew waited. 

“We aren’t people who beg, Kokichi, you know that,” Nagito said, his voice with a pleading tone to it. “We’re also your only option off this hellish island,” 

“Kokichi, they’re right,” Kaito whispered, looking down at the Captain. “They have medicine on their ship to help Miu, Cosette, and Tenko, they can get us to Shuichi, they can help us defeat Junko!”

“Well, I’m going with you all no matter what the Captain decides,” Maki stepped forward, determination in her eyes. “I must assume that since I was left behind by the Royal Navy, my service to them is no longer needed. Now, my goal is to save my friend from a life of pain,” 

Kokichi stepped forward next to Maki, his hands on his hips. “There is no doubt in my mind that we’re going to get back Shuichi, and now we don’t have much time to get off this island before the cloak falls back on it,” He pointed at Rantaro. “How much of a head start do they have on us?”

“Well, now the Jabberwock isn’t slowing down the precession, and since the Royal Navy and the Monokuma are fast ships, I’d say maybe a day by this point,” Rantaro reasoned, tapping his chin. 

“If you all come on our ship, that might increase to a day and a half. The Jabberwock is old, and breaking off from the Royal Navy and Junko left us with some damage,” Hajime explained, looking back out into the ocean at his ship. “It’s not a matter of if we can get there, it's how fast with all of us on board,”

“Luckily, we have a solution,” Kokichi grinned, looking at Kaito and Maki. “Our ship,”

“But The Dice was sunk,” Sonia questioned, looking very confused. “How did you-”

“We found the Pirate Lord’s ship, in a cave around the back of the island. However, we can’t get it out due to the glass door,” Kokichi clapped his hands together, grinning like a mad man. “That’s where you all come in. We need you to sail around to the back of the island, and fire the cannons at the glass and break it. We’ll bring our injured down to the ship, and set sail. Once we’re on the open water, we can discuss our plans and you can give us some gunpowder and medical supplies,”

“That’s a lot of demand for someone who’s got nothing to barter,” Nagito growled, raising a fist up to Kokichi. 

“Do you want my help or not? Because we both know you need me and my crew to defeat Junko,” Kokichi smirked, lowering Nagito’s fist. “So, you gonna move your asses and help us get that ship out or not?” 

Nagito and Hajime exchanged looks, before nodding and turning back to their dinghy. Sonia followed after, along with Rantaro who said he was needed to help the crew load the cannons. Kokichi, Maki, and Kaito turned on their heels, heading back up to the mansion. 

“How much time do we have?” Kaito asked Maki as they ran through the cave towards the corpse of the giant caterpillar. 

“I’d say two, maybe three hours at this point,” Maki guessed, looking up at the sky as they exited the cave. “Let’s hope we can do this in time,”

“Then let’s move!” Kokichi yelled, picking up speed. 

The three made it to the mansion, running through the broken door and looking around the room and their crew mates. 

“We need to get down the hill to the cave. Nagito and Hajime’s crew came back to save us, and we don’t have much time,” Kokichi explained, grabbing all the star maps and charts he could. 

“Keebo and Gonta, and you help Miu and Tenko get down the side of the mountain?” Kaito asked, turning to the two pirates. They nodded, and headed over to the injured crew members. “Cosette, can you walk?”

“Yeah, I can walk just fine,” Cosette nodded, standing up from her chair. “I might just need a guide down, make sure I don’t trip. My depth perception is kinda off,”

“I’ll guide you,” Ryoma offered, extending his hand. Cosette took it, and the two headed towards the door. 

“Himiko, you all set?” 

“Yes, I am,” the small witch nodded, clutching her staff tight to her chest. “I’ll follow you all down, and help guide if needed,”

The crew headed out the mansion, and around the side towards the steep hill. Slowly, they shuffled down, trying to get down to the ledge below. Keebo had Miu on his back, with Gonta carrying Tenko (much to the woman’s frustration). Ryoma helped guide Cosette down, while Himiko followed closely behind Kaito, Maki, and Kokichi. 

Once they all arrived at the ledge, Kokichi pressed the pressure plate to open the spiral staircase leading down to the cave below. 

“Be careful, it’s dark until we get to the ship,” Maki warned, as they began their descent into the cave. 

Soon, the ship and all it’s glory came into view, getting gasps from everyone who hadn’t seen it. In the setting sun, it looked even more beautiful than before, it’s giant mast looming over them. 

“This is the most beautiful ship I have ever seen,” Miu cried out as Keebo set her down on the ground. “The cedar wood, the iron plating for the bottom, this is truly a masterpiece!”

“All these canons,” Tenko mused as she stepped up into the ship. “Golden… they’re all golden…”

“Look at that crow’s nest,” Keebo smiled, looking above him. “It’s bigger, and that looks like a high end telescope! I want to get a closer look!”

“Yes, this ship is beautiful,” Kokichi nodded, jumping up to the helm. “But right now, all able bodies need to prepare this vessel to be sea bound. The Jabberwock will be here soon, and we need to be ready for when she blows that glass door,”

“On it!”

The uninjured crew members got to work. Kaito and Maki worked on untying the rope that kept the ship mounted in place, while Keebo, Gonta, Ryoma, and Himiko worked on getting the flags down. 

“Do you think Shuichi’s ok?” Kaito whispered as him and Maki struggled to untie a knot. “I worry Junko is going to pull a fast one on your Governor,”

“I’d like to think Shuichi is being optimistic right now, but I don’t know,” Maki frowned, giving up on untying the resorting to her sword. “I can tell you he can’t go back to the life he knew, not after meeting you all. And honestly, neither can I,”

“So does that mean, once we get Shuichi back of course, you’re joining the crew?” Kaito asked, looking up at Maki. 

“Yesh,” Maki nodded, putting her sword back in it’s belt. “You know, it’s funny. I used to think you pirates were all terrible and horrible people. And sure, people like Junko have done terrible things, but you all aren’t too bad,” She gave Kaito a small smile. “Well, most fo you aren’t bad,”

Kaito broke into a wide grin, before placing his hand on Maki’s shoulder. He rubbed it affectionately, not breaking eye contact. 

“Oi!” The two turned, seeing Kokichi looking over the side of the ship. “Stop flirting and get below deck. The Jabberwock’s coming into view!”

Maki and Kaito heading back on the ship and below deck with the rest of the crew. They all waited below deck, listening as the glass door broke from the cannon fire of the Jabberwock. Once the fire stopped, they all climbed out. 

“Get the oars and push off! Move the sails with the wind!” Kokichi yelled from the wheel. “Get the ladder ready for the Jabberwock’s dinghy for once we clear this island!” 

Everyone moved fast, the ship beginning to slowly move out of the cave and onto the open sea. Even though this ship was beautiful, and had weapons and tools pirates dream of having, it felt wrong being on a ship that wasn’t the Dice.

“Miu,” Kokichi nodded as the blonde women climbed up the stairs next to him. “I just wanted to say, thank you for bringing me to my senses early. With Cosette,”

“That’s the first time you’ve ever complimented me,” Miu chuckled, placing her hands on her hips. “But your welcome. We all want Shuichi to get back to us. He’s a part of the crew now,” The woman put on a big smirk. “Although, to you, he might be more,”

“You’re right. He is,” Kokichi nodded, his hands gripping the wheel tightly. 

“W-Wait what?” Miu stammering, taking a step back. “I mean, I knew you liked him, I just didn’t think you would admit it so openly!”

“I never thought there was someone out there for me, someone who would fill the hole in my heart. Shuichi Saihara is the best treasure this pirate ever found,” Kokichi smiled sadly to himself, before perking back up. “But not like you’d know about love. You’re a heartless whore!”

“And there he is,” Miu pursed her lips, spinning on her heels and heading back down the stairs. “Screw you!” 

Kokichi grinned, watching Miu slink away. The Harmony Killer continued away from the island and towards the Jabberwock, trying to get distance away from the island as fast as possible. 

“The cloak is up, but we’ve cleared it,” Himiko informed the Captain, her staff raised in the air. “The island’s shielded from view now,”

“Good thing we didn’t leave anything behind,” Kaito noted as he looked back where the island was. “Oh, and Nagito, Hajime, and Officer Rantaro as rowing over in a dinghy right now,”

“Prepare to let them on deck!” Kokichi announced to the crew. 

Gonta and Ryoma threw the ladder over the side, allowing the two pirates and the Officer to climb up on board the ship. 

“Here are some medicine vials, bandages, food, and gunpowder,” Hajime said, placing some satchels down on the deck. “Is that enough for you all?”

“Yes, thank you,” Keebo smiled, grabbing the medicine bag and guiding Miu, Tenko, and Costte towards the cabin below. 

“Thank you for coming back for us,” Kokichi bowed slightly to the three men, in an uncharacteristic way. He was genuine, however. “So, how are we going to get Shuichi back,”

“We have to get back to Port Morsey as soon as possible,” Hajime looked out onto the horizon. “If we want to end Junko’s reign of terror, we need to cut her off,”

“Knowing Junko, she’s got something up her sleeve,” Kokichi frowned, tapping his chin. “There’s another angle she’s trying to work,”

“She wouldn’t tell me what, but she does have plans,” Nagito informed the group. “I think Shuichi is her passage onto Port Morsey, and who knows what she’ll do when she gets there,”

“I knew she requested an audience with the Governor once they got back,” Rantaro piped in. “I overheard the Commodore speak about it with another officer,”

“I think going in subitally is the best way we achieve both our goals,” Maki suggested, her hands on her hips. “It stands to reason that Junko and the Navy will enter through the south eastern port, the one closer to the mansion. We need to get to the north eastern port, we can use the merchant docks to get in,”

“Then what?” Kaito questioned. “Waltz on in and say ‘Hi Royal Navy and Junko! We’re here to just grab Shuichi and be on our way,’”

“We can use the catacombs!” Rantaro snapped up, grinning. “Shuichi showed us these catacombs under the town. Port Morsey used to be a rum distribution center before the crown came in, so we can use there old tunnels to get around,”

“Can you lead us through them?” Hajime asked, hesitant about the plan. “And how will we know where to find everyone?”

“I can lead you guys to three locations; the Governor’s mansion, the jail, and the town center. I’d bet good money Shuichi and Junko are in one of those three places,” Rantaro confirmed, nodding his head. 

“So here’s the plan,” Kokichi kneeled down, opening a parchment and rolling it on the deck. “Since no one has seen what me and my crew looks like, except Junko’s crew but they can’t patrol that whole ass island, we’ll go with Maki on the surface. Hajime and Nagito, go with Rantaro to the jail and create as much chaos as possible to draw the soldiers there. In the chaos, we’ll grab Shuichi, make a break for our ship, and blow up the Monokuma,” 

“This plan has so many areas to fail. I don’t like it,” Nagito confessed, shaking his head. “But we don’t have much information on what’s going on when Junko and the others reach Port Morsey, so I guess it’s the best shot we have,”

Kokichi took a deep breath. “If it comes to it, me and my crew will be prioritizing getting Shuichi over Junko,”

“Fine,” Hajime grumbled, before turning back to the ladder. “Let’s get going then. Port Morsey is waiting,”

“All hands! Set course for Port Morsey’s north eastern port!” Kokichi yelled, heading back to the helm. 

Everyone scurried about with their respect jobs faster than Kokichi had ever seen his crew work. The determination to get Shuichi back was infectious. 

Kokichi reached into his pocket, pulling out the blanket. “We’re coming, Shumai. Just hold on,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter isn't all that exciting, but I've been working on it on my free time from my summer job. I hope everyone is staying safe. 
> 
> Someone asked about fan art and where to submit that, and you can submit it to my tumblr: gingerbarricade  
> I'm not active on it very much, as I really only use it for reading and getting inspiration. But you can send them to me there, I'd love to see them!


	18. Chapter 18

Shuichi felt numb as he shuffled off the gangplank, Kaede having looped her arm around his. His mind was blank, and he couldn’t quite see correct. He vaguely made out people lining the street, cheering about his return. Shuichi himself didn’t know why they were cheering. 

“Never thought us Pirates would be hailed as heroes,” He heard Junko say from behind him, “But hey, this day is full of surprises,”

If Shuichi had the motivation, he might have turned around and questioned what Junko had just said, but he didn’t. They continued the familiar path towards the mansion, past the stables and past the church. 

“...And your Uncle has planned to announce the engagement at Church this Sunday, after we purify you,” Kaede was apparently talking to him, not that he cared. 

“I’m sorry, what?” Shuichi questioned as the mansion drew closer. 

“Announcing the engagement,” Kaede smiled, as if it was something he should know. “All the people were really rattled after the attack and your absence, so this will continue to boost morale!”

Shuichi removed his arm from Kaede’s, his face still blank and unmoving. “Commodore, I never agreed-”

“Thank god you’re ok!” Shuichi felt tight arms going around his chest, and he was pulled into a hug. “I was so worried! I had all the islands looking out for you… I was so worried, Shuichi!” The Governor pulled away, his hands firm on Shuichi’s shoulders. “They didn’t do anything to you? You look good. Strong, a little tanner, more mature. This harrowing experience must have changed you. Now, go get changed, we’re having a feast to celebrate!” 

Shuichi wordlessly pushed past his Uncle, climbing up the stairs towards his room. His mind had started again, but replaying the scene between him and Kokichi, back on the Pirate Lord’s Island. If he had been braver, maybe he would’ve kissed him. Maybe if he had…

“Sir? We have a clean pair of clothes for you,” A servant entered the room, carrying a giant box. “We’ll leave you to yourself,” They ducked out of the room, leaving Shuichi alone again. 

He ghosted his fingers over the box, looking towards the door. Maki wasn’t going to walk in, insisting that he put on the clothes, promising that she’d spar with him after. Maki was stuck on that island, and it was his fault. 

Shuichi opened the box, looking at the items inside. A long, navy coat, with golden lining and buttons, a brown vest that looked tight, and a dark velvet shirt. He held the items up to the ceiling, before turning his head to look in the mirror. 

His simple navy vest was duller due to sea exposure, and his white, ruffled shirt was no longer white, more of a light brown. His pants and boots were worn, but in the out he had never been more comfortable. His sword was still in his belt, the weight now nonexistent on his hip. 

“I can’t. This isn’t the life I want,” Shuichi whispered, throwing the box he was given across the room. “I’m a pirate now, there’s no going back,”

He kneeled down, grabbing a satchel from under his bed and shoving a shirt, and some books he had. Shuichi wasn’t going to let his story be one of regrets and mistakes. For once, he was going to make his own choice. 

“Shuichi? You Uncle, the Commodore, and the Pirate, Junko, are waiting for you in the dining room,” A servant called through the door. 

“Tell them I’ll be there soon,” Shuichi called back, rummaging through his closet. “I’m just getting ready,”

He pulled out a book on ships, shoving it into his bag. “Gonna need that to figure out how to sail a ship… can I even do that alone?” Shuichi looked out his balcony, seeing the Monokuma in the harbor. “Maybe I can steal that one… or one from the merchant docks,” 

His bag full, he pushed out his bedroom door, running down the stairs. The stachel was flung in front of the door, and he stomped to the dining hall. 

“Ah, Shuichi!” The Governor grinned when the door opened. “We were just discussing- why aren’t you in your new clothes?”

“Uncle, I apologize for the shame I’m about to bring you,” Shuichi walked forward, with a confidence he didn’t have before. “But I can’t stay here anymore. The life I had before isn’t the life I want now,” 

“Shuichi, what do you mean,” Kaede stammered, standing up from her chair. “We’re to be wed soon,”

“No, I’m not marrying you, Kaede, because I don’t love you,” Shuichi grinned, his smile wide. “You are a very nice woman, and you will make some man very happy, but I’m not that man. My heart belongs to someone else,” He turned back to his Uncle. 

“I love the sea, and the taste of salt water. Being with the crew of The Dice, I was happy. I saw the sea, and sure I almost died tasting the salt water a little too closely, but I was free. I can’t continue to be cooped up here,” Shuichi unsheathed his sword, pointing it down the table. “Now I know, it was my destiny to be a Pirate. Because I know now that my parents were the Pirate Lords,”

“They were the what?!?” Kaede and Junko said at the same time. 

The Governor let out a sigh, standing up from his chair and walking to the window. “I knew you would find out. I never should’ve given you that ring,” He placed his hands behind his back. “You were probably mad when you found out, because I didn’t tell you. I didn’t tell you because I wanted to protect you. If people knew, knew that our bloodline had pirates in it, chaos,”

“Is that all you care about?” Shuichi seethed, gripping the sword a little tighter. “Seriously, Uncle, you are so-”

“And if people knew you were the Pirate Lord’s son, well, the price on your head would be death,” The Governor turned to Shuichi, a sadness in his eyes. “I’m glad you’re ok, Shuichi. I’m sorry for hiding this from you. All I want is for you to be happy. So I ask, would you be happier if I let you go?”

“Yes,” Shuichi answered without hesitation. “I feel complete when I’m with the crew and their captain,”

“Well then,” The Governor smiled, turning to the Commodore. “Please ready a small vessel for Shuichi, and get a few escort ships to take him back to the island,”

“But sir-”

“No buts,” The Governor crossed the room, extending a hand to Shuichi. “I’m happy you found your calling. Please, if you need anything, I’m here for you,” 

Shuichi grinned, pulling his Uncle into a tight embrace. He was going home, back to Maki, and the crew, and Kokichi. 

“No! T-This is unacceptable!” Kaede yelled, slamming her fist on the table. “I’ve done everything right in my life… this isn’t how it’s supposed to happen!”

“I agree with the Commodore,” Junko nodded, standing up and moving from behind the table. “I believe the Governor has gone off his rocker. In fact, I think all of you have gone insane,” Junko clapped her hands, and her crew burst through the doors and windows, swords drawn. “Port Morsey needs new leadership. New life,”

“I knew I shouldn’t have worked with you pirates,” The Governor looked around, his face souring. “But the Commodore insisted, she said you all knew where my nephew was,”

“While we did know where he was, we planned on doing this from the beginning,” Junko grinned, twirling her gun in her hands. “The only one who was smart enough to figure us out was that Rantaro man, but he jumped ship before warning you all. Sad,” 

“What do you plan on doing with us?” Shuichi narrowed his gaze, keeping his sword raised. “I will stop you,”

“Wow, glad to see you grew a pair, or something at least resembling that. But now, you need to shut up and listen,” Junko teased, stepping up onto the table. “Here’s the deal. I plan to be the new Pirate Lord. For that, I need an island. Guess what? Found one right here and ripe for the picking,” She grinned, placing her pistol in her belt. “However, I can’t do that with you two alive. So, to strike despair into my new subjects hearts, I think a public execution is in order,”

“You can’t do that!” Kaede yelled, raising her sword to Junko. “You can’t kill the Governor and Shuichi! The entire crown will hunt you down!”

“Well, once they find out the Saihara family’s dirty little secret, they won’t be too eager, will they?” Junko sneered, scrunching up her nose. “Commodore, if you want to live, I suggest you’ll do what I say and tell your men to listen to me,” She leaned closer, her eyes glinting with evil. “I can also offer you more power and wealth then marrying Shuichi could ever give you,”

Kaede looked between Shuichi and Junko, her face pale. She bowed her head in submission, looking defeated. “I’ll arrange for a public execution,”

“Perfect!” Junko clapped her hands together, smiling. “Now, Mukuro, you and Tsumugi can take these two in the cellar of the mansion. The rest of you wenches, round up the noble families and line them up for execution. We need to make an example of them,”

“I won’t die a hangman’s death!” Shuichi yelled, rushing forward. 

His sword clashed with Junko’s, who was still above him on the table smiling like crazy. The pirate pushed down, gravity playing in her favor. Shuichi kicked the table leg, shaking it slightly. Junko jumped backwards, now glaring. 

“Grab him,” She growled, and immediately his arms were pinned to his sides with nowhere to move. “You’re dying a very public death, Shuichi Saihara. And I’ll make sure to send your boyfriend your pretty head in a basket,”

Shuichi yelled as him and his Uncle were pulled out of the dining hall and towards the cellar. The pirates of the Monokuma didn’t care as they tied them up in the basement and left them for later. 

Around town, all the noble families were rounded up by the pirates and the authorities. Commodore Akamatsu and Junko had cooked up a story about how Shuichi and his Uncle were related to the terrible Pirate Lords, and were corrupting the citizens of the island. Junko, with her powerful words and presence, convinced the citizens this was true. It was a grim day to be living on Port Morsey.


	19. Chapter 19

The Harmony Killer closed in on Port Morsey’s north eastern port, flying the Union Jack. Kokichi stood next to Keebo in the crow’s nest, looking at the island in the distance. The Jabberwock was sailing behind them, bouncing in the faster ship’s wake. 

“You see it too?” Keebo sighed as he took back the telescope from the smaller captain. “The Monokuma’s flag over the mansion?” 

“How can I not,” Kokichi furrowed his brow, anger filling his chest. “It’s an ugly flag flown by the person I hate the most,”

“Captain, you need to take a breath,” Keebo warned, playing a hand on his shoulders. “Saving Shuichi won’t be an easy feat, and our morals will be tested,” The white haired man let out a breath, his eyes very serious. “All I’m saying is don’t let Junko get the best of your beliefs. Stay true,”

“I would never stoop to the level of that… devil,” Kokichi seethed, before grabbing a rope beyond the nest. “However, I want her to suffer a fate way worse than death,”

Kokichi jumped off the nest, the rope pulling him down on the pulley towards the deck. Keebo sighed, turning away. 

“He’s not okay, is he?” 

Keebo jumped, turning around and seeing Miu staring down at the deck, where Kokichi was walking back towards the wheel, where Kaito was sailing. 

“U-Uh… no, he’s not,” Keebo answered, looking down as well. “I haven’t seen him like this in a long time. He’s practically fuming,”

“Well, I guess love can make you do crazy fucking things,” Miu chuckled, shaking her head. “Hope he doesn’t go to bonkers,” 

Keebo nodded in agreement, before raising the telescope to his eye again. They were drawing nearer to the port, and the tension around the ship was growing. Maki was pacing back and forth on the deck, Himiko seemed to be sacrificing something next to tenko, who was cleaning a canon. Gonta was inspecting some bugs on the ship, and Ryoma was nowhere to be seen. 

“Do you think we’ll die?” Miu asked, breaking the silence that had been created.

“I’ve been prepared to die in this line of work for a long time, Miu,” Keebo gripped the edge of the crow’s nest so that his knuckles turned white. “I hope it’s not during this adventure. I’d really like to see the Captain go back to normal and Shuichi return,”

“Me to,” Miu agreed, adjusting her corset. “Well, if it’s any consolation, then I don’t want you to die,”

Keebo smiled, turning his head to Miu. “I don’t want you to die either,” 

On deck, Himiko was chanting some words Tenko couldn’t understand. She was trying her best to clean the dust out of the canons, but her mind kept wandering. 

“Can you… can you be quiet for one moment,” Tenko asked, turning her head so fast that her braids smacked her face. “It’s hard to think right now, and my mind is all fuzzy…”

“I guess my calming ritual wasn’t working,” Himiko sighed, snuffing out the candles she had assembled. “The tension in the air is so thick, I was trying to get the spirits to send us good vibrations,”

Tenko immediately felt bad, stopping her cleaning. “Oh, I didn’t realize. That was nice of you,” Tenko slumped to the floor, laying her head back. “What will you do after we save Shuichi?”

“What do you mean?” Himiko asked, sitting up on her knees. “I can’t go back to my cave, not after all this. This is all too much fun,” 

“Wait, really?” Tenko shot up, hands practically shaking. “I’m super excited you decided to join us…. But what about your master wizard or whoever? Will he cast a curse on us? Will he cast a curse on you?”

“I cast a protection spell on the crew when I first came on the Dice, so I’m not too concerned about that,” Himiko shrugged, taking one of Tenko’s rags and cleaning her staff. “I might seem slow to the draw sometimes, but I think ahead,” 

Tenko stared at the small witch, impressed. She was sure full of surprises, and Tenko was excited to see what the girl would do next. 

Below deck, Ryoma was sharpening his sword with a stone he found lying around. The sound of the steel ran through the belly of the ship. Usually, Ryoma wasn’t concerned with what lied in store for him and the other pirates on the crew, but this was different. 

Junko was her own terrible beast. She loved to rip out the hope in the world and replace it with Going head to head with her and her crew, he just didn’t see an outcome where they didn’t lose someone in this battle. 

Ryoma stopped sharpening, before looking up at the ceiling. He heard the tapping of the Captain’s foot, which increased his worry even more. He had seen Kokichi get serious about a lot of things, but his obsession with this mission was higher than any he had seen before. It was dangerous, for everyone involved. Ryoma just hoped it all turned out ok. 

Above deck, Gonta looked at all the bugs crawling between the boards. Some of these bugs were so rare he had never seen them before. These bugs would never replace all the ones he lost on the Dice, but he was happy to make new friends with the bugs. 

“When Shuichi comes back, you meet him,” Gonta smiled, letting a caterpillar inch across his finger. “He likes bugs, Shuichi is good friend,” 

A few feet away, Maki was still pacing, practically drilling the path in the ship from how hard she was stomping. Kaito was next to her, leaning on the ship railing, watching the girl. 

“Watching you is making me anxious,” Kaito chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why not just tell me what’s on your mind?”

Maki stopped, looking around the deck before turning her eyes to Kaito. “I can’t help but think that I should go at this alone. This will be dangerous,”

“We aren’t letting you go alone,” Kaito chuckled, sounding as if Maki’s comment was the stupidest thing he’d ever heard. “We’re all in this to-”

“But you all could die,” Maki yelled, balling her hands into fists. “I can’t watch you die! You guys still have a chance to move on and live your lives, forget about me and Shuichi!”

Kaito looked down at his feet. He stared at them for a minute, before pushing off from the railing. In seconds, he had stepped forward and wrapped Maki in a tight hug. 

“You are part of this crew now, and so is Shuichi. We never abandon our crew,” Kaito whispered in her ear. “Don’t try to shoulder everything on your own. You gotta trust other people. You don’t have to look after Shuichi on your own anymore,” 

Maki soaked in those words, but didn’t quite believe what she was hearing. Her entire life, she felt responsible for Shuichi’s well being. Now, however, here was someone who offered to shoulder that with her. Her arm twitched, moving slightly to return the hug. 

“Kaito!” 

The two jumped away from each other, turning their attention to Kokichi at the helm. He had a dark look on his face, one that struck fear into Kaito. He had never seen him like this, his eyes empty and blank. 

“Y-Yes, Captain?” Kaito stammered, his heart pounding in his chest as he watched him. 

“Gather the crew,” His voice shook the ship, his hands gripping in the wheel. “We’re about to enter the docks,”

Kaito nodded, before scrambling off. Maki looked up as well, her eyes still and calm, even though Kokichi’s gaze struck a cord even in her stone cold heart. 

“Maki,” Kokichi kept his gaze on the girl, his aura increasing intensity every second. “Signal the Jabberwock. Once we dock, the plan begins. We save Shuichi,”

“Don’t worry, Maki,” Kaito reappeared next to the brown-haired girl, flanked by the crew. “Once he sees Shuichi again, he’ll return to normal,” Swallowing hard, the navigator stood at attention. “At least, I hope,”

~~~

Shuichi watched from a distance of the mansion as some of the nobles stepped up to the gallows, and the executioner wrapped the rope around their neck. It was like Junko was playing a mind game with them, teasing him and his Uncle with their fate. 

“I’m so sorry, nephew,” His Uncle whispered from next to Shuichi, both their arms tied behind their backs. “I never meant for things to be this way,” 

“I know, Uncle,” Shuichi replied, wiggling in his rope. “And it won’t end this way. I won’t allow it,” 

“What are you doing?” The Governor hissed, staying as still as a statue. “Don’t do anything rash! Think it through!”

“All bets are off, Uncle,” Shuichi felt the rope snap, and fall to his feet. He quickly drew the sword. “We’re getting out of-”

Suddenly, there was a warm liquid on his face. His eyes went wide as he turned his head slowly. The sight that met him was absolutely horrible. A sword was protruding from his Uncle’s chest, coated with blood. 

“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice you slicing the rope with your ring?” Junko sneered, removing the knife from the Governor’s chest. “You are stupider than I thought,”

Shuichi immediately knelt down, cradling his Uncle’s head in his arms. “Uncle I am so sorry… This is all my fault, all my fault,”

“It’s ok, Shuichi,” Governor Saihara insisted, placing his calloused hand on Shuichi’s cheek. “I knew I couldn’t stop you from trying to escape. I also knew my life would be lost against these pirates,” He smiled weakly, his eyes dulling. “Please, Shuichi… survive is all I ask,” 

Shuichi felt himself tugged backwards, away from his Uncle’s corpse. “Uncle! Please! Uncle!” 

“S..Sur..Survive,” Governor Saihara gave one last smile, before his face stilled. 

“That was sweet,” Junko walked beside Shuichi as he was dragged away from his Uncle. “But your separation will be short lived,” 

The ground suddenly shook, making everyone look up. In the distance, smoke billowed out from a building. 

“What building is that?” Junko yelled at Shuichi, who was still in the grasp of Tsumugi and Korekiyo. She bent down, gripping his cheeks with her nails, drawing some blood. “ANSWER ME!”

“Bite me,” Shuichi spat, before he was smacked across the face. 

“You! Guard!”Junko spat, pointing at one of the men at the door. “What building is over there!”

“U-Uh,” The guard stammered, looking between Shuichi and Junko. “The jailhouse. Maybe the prisoner’s rioted, I don’t know, ma’am!” 

Junko growled, gripping her sword tighter. “Mukuro! Toko! Sayaka!” Junko yelled, and the three girls ran into the room. “Go settle whatever’s happening in the jailhouse. Take some guards with you. I shall be taking Shuichi here to the gallows for a meeting with Celestia,”

“Yes captain!” The three girls yelled, before running past them and down the block. 

“Tsumugi, Korekiyo,” Junko turned to the two who were holding Shuichi. “Let’s head to the gallows. 

Shuichi was dragged forward, down the cobblestone pathways toward the center of town. The people of Port Morsey were crowding the streets, watching Shuichi being paraded like a puppet. They were jeering, throwing stuff at him. 

Celestia was about to usher the next round of nobles on the gallows, but stopped when she saw Junko raise a hand. Shuichi looked at the gallows, his face expressionless. 

“Is this it?” Shuichi thought as he was pulled up the stairs to the gallows platform. “Am I actually going to die a hangman’s death?” 

Shuichi stepped to the center platform, as his hands were once again bound behind him and the hangman’s rope around his neck. 

“Since I’m so kind,” Junko smiled, walking to the edge of the platform and swirling her still bloody sword around her finger. “I’ll let you say some final words to your subjects,” 

Shuichi looked out at the silent crowd of people, all glaring at him. He had never really felt like he could lead the island. Turning to his left, he saw some fishermen from the wharf. To his right, some of the royal guards. Front and center, was Kaede. 

“I never wanted to lead you all, and I apologize for neglecting and not getting to know you. However, I was trapped in my own mind,” Shuichi’s voice rang through the area, bouncing off of the building. “But before I die, I wanted to share some valuable lessons I learned while I was away,” He held his head up high, chin in the air. “Lesson one, be true to yourself. Lesson two, giving to others is more rewarding than being selfish. Finally, lesson three; if you love someone, tell them,” 

Shuichi gave a sad smile, tilting his head slightly to the side. “So, since this is my last moment in the mortal realm, I guess I’ll confess it now,” Looking out in the crowd, Shuichi saw a white feather moving back and forth in the wind. Just like the one on a certain Captain’s hat. 

“I am in love with Captain Kokichi Oma,” 

Immediately, Shuichi felt an emotional release in his heart. If he couldn’t tell the object of his affections, why not tell everyone present on his death day. He felt complete now. 

“SHUICHI!” 

Shuichi looked up, seeing a figure standing on top of the cobblestone walls, seeing a figure. His face was shrouded by a black hat and a large white feather. He was wearing a long white tattered jacket with mismatched buttons and white breeches, with a black sash holding them up. He had large black boots and a long sword attached to a belt.

Captain Kokichi Oma smiled back at him, flanked by Maki and Kaito. “I love you too,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With that, they finally said it. Those three words everyone wants to here in their life. 
> 
> Apologies for the late update! Computer troubles and what not. It had to be sent back to the store, but we're all good now. 
> 
> It's hard to believe that next chapter will be the last chapter. It's been a long time coming, and I once again apologize for being so flaky. So thank you for sticking with me.


	20. Chapter 20

In just four words, Kokichi had changed Shuichi’s life for the better. Immediately, colors seemed vibrant, the sun was brighter, and his heart swelled. The smile the two shared was captivating for the citizens in the square. 

“CELESTIA!” Junko yelled, snapping everyone from the moment. “KILL HIM, NOW!” 

The black haired girl moved to pull the lever, but was stopped but a figure looming over her. Gonta stood, glaring down at her. 

“Lady Pirate will not hurt Gonta’s friend,” Gonta yelled, grabbing Celestia by the shoulders and throwing her towards a stack of barrels, then pursued her in a sword fight. 

All hell broke loose, the citizens running everywhere as Kokichi and his crew appeared to take on Junko’s crew and the guards. Junko stepped forward, raising her sword to Shuichi’s chest. 

The man jumped out of the way, kicking Junko in the side while she passed him, off balance. Shuichi knew he was in trouble if he didn’t get a weapon soon, or someone to take on Junko. He heard her scramble up behind her, and whipped around. Thinking fast, he slammed his foot down on one of the gallow’s floorboards, creating a seesaw and sending Junko flying back once again. 

“Shuichi!” Keebo flew down from one of the rooftops, white coat trailing behind him. “Good to see you alive,”

“Keebo, thank god,” Shuichi sighed, as Keebo removed the rope from his neck. “Do you have a sword, or-”

Korekiyo jumped between the two, raising his sword to slice down on Keebo. The white haired male moved fast, metal clashing with metal. Shuichi jumped off the gallows platform, looking through the sea of people to find someone to free his hands. 

“Shumai!” Kokichi was in the sea of people, waving at him. “Over here!”

“Kokichi!” Shuichi smiled, weaving in and out of people to try and reach him. 

Tsumugi jumped from above, blocking his view. She had a crazy look in her eye, the look of a murderer. He stared down the tip of her sword, his eyes wide. 

“Junko might be the brains behind this operation, but I’m the swordswomen on this vessel,” She spun it on her fingers, getting stanced up. “Your death shall be fast,”

“You’re all talk, no action,” Maki ran from Shuichi’s right, parleying Tsumugi’s sword. “If you really are as good as you advertise, show me!”

“Maki,” Shuichi breathed a sigh of relief, before feeling a tug on the ropes binding his wrists. “Kaito! I’m glad it’s you two,”

“We would never leave you high and dry, Shuichi,” Kaito grinned, slicing through the rope and freeing Shuichi. He then handed him a sword. “You’re part of the crew now,”

Shuichi grinned, before backing up with Kaito to take on the swarms of soldiers who were coming at them. Like machines, they defeated them, effectively knocking them out. 

“How’d you all get here?” Shuichi and Kaito swapped places, stopping the swords of more soldiers. “The Dice sank!”

“The Jabberwock came to save us, escorted by your friend Officer Rantaro” Kaito replied, blocking an incoming swing. “And we found your parent’s ship in a cave. It’s really fancy,”

“I assume that the Jabberwock is responsible for the ruckus in the jail?” Shuichi chuckled, punching a soldier in the face. 

“Yup!” Kaito grinned. “But all this will be in vain if we can't get past all these soldiers! It’s like the never end,”

“Nyeh… I’ll help you,” Himiko appeared out of midair, raising her stuff to the sky. “Bellum nostro succurre suscitat!” She yelled, before slamming her staff to the ground. 

Skeletal hands rose from the ground, remains climbing out. The bodies of the hanged nobles also stood up, zombie-like, and started moving towards the soldiers. Even if they were a slow moving army, their distraction was effective.

“I called some skeletons of the dead to help us. They should help alleviate some of the pressure,” Himiko smiled. 

“Himiko, that’s awesome,” SHuichi grinned, looking around at their skeletal warriors. “Thank you!” 

A loud boom made them all turn back to the gallows, which was now broken into a million woods pieces. Miu stood on a rooftop, holding what looked like a mini cannon gun. 

“Woo!” Miu ginned, loading another cannonball that was next to her. “Shuichi, you should’ve told me about your parent’s sooner! They had all these babies just waiting to be used,”

Shuichi let out a laugh, before paling when he saw Mukuro sneaking up behind Miu. He wheeled around, grabbing Kaito’s gun from his belt, and holding it up. 

“Miu! Duck!” He yelled, before firing the weapon. 

The blonde’s eyes went wide, as she ducked down. The bullet flew through the air, connecting with Mukuro’s shoulder. The black haired girl winced, but the shot gave Miu enough time to ready her sword. 

“Mukuro was sent with Toko and Sayaka to the jail to stop the riots… does that mean the Jabberwock’s crew was defeated?” Shuichi panicked, handing Kaito back his gun. 

“Well, if we see Toko and Sayaka, then we’ll know,” Kaito answered, glancing to where Maki was still battling Tsumugi. “What I need you to do right now is help Miu. Even with a wounded shoulder, Mukuro is still a big threat. I’d say she’s a better swordswoman then Tusmugi,” 

“Got it. Make sure Maki’s ok as well,” Shuichi nodded, and took off back through the crowd. 

He jumped over the broken gallows, climbing up some stacked boxes before grabbing onto a store sign and swinging up. From on top of the sign, he could see the whole situation in the square. Ryoma had joined Gonta in fighting Celestia, while Tenko was battling Kaede of all people. Kaito was protecting Maki’s backside from guards who had escaped Himiko’s army of the dead. Himiko was darting through the crowd, healing bystanders and townsfolk caught in the crossfire. Keebo was a few feet away from him on the ground, still locked in his battle with Korekiyo. Shuichi, however, couldn’t see Kokichi or Junko. 

A grunt from above got his attention, and he saw Miu getting pushed down by Mukuro. Shuichi swung up, grabbing onto the roof gutter. Using all the strength he could muster, he pulled himself up, managing to block Mukuro’s oncoming swing before it collided with Miu. 

“Miu, I need you to take the cannon gun and fire on the prisoner gates. Block anyone from getting here,” Shuichi hissed, forcing Mukuro’s sword back up. “Go!”

Miu nodded, grabbing the cannon gun and running across the roof. Shuichi turned his attention back to Mukuro, pushing her back to regain his balance. 

“Kokichi and his crew sure are resilient,” Mukuro gripped her wounded shoulder, before cracking her neck. “It’s a shame that you all will have to perish, you would’ve made good crewmates,”

“I don’t understand how you all follow her blindly,” Shuichi swung his sword, Mukuro blocking it at the last second. “Kokichi and his crew have morals, you all are just ruthless killers!” 

“The world is such a cruel place,” Mukuro retorted, pushing Shuichi’s sword back before swiping at his feet. Shuichi jumped, landing solidly on the roof. “We just want to give back the despair the world gave us,” 

“That’s not how the world works!” Shuichi yelled, him and Mukuro parrying their swords back and forth. “You shouldn’t bow down to one person, to do things solely for their benefit! You should be able to think for yourself, make your own decisions,” Mukuro pushed against Shuichi with her sword, making him step back. “You’re supposed to have people who have your back!”

“Just like I got yours,” Shuichi felt a soft thud on his back, recognizing the voice. 

“Captain,” Shuichi breathed, glancing behind him and seeing Kokichi locking blades with Junko. 

“We just professed our undying love for one another and the first thing out of your mouth is ‘Captain’?” Kokichi snickered, the two exchanging places to block incoming swings. “I sail all this way for you…”

“We’re a little busy at the moment,” Shuichi laughed, pushing against Junko’s sword. ”I was focusing on not dying,” 

“You two…” Junko was practically setting at this point, looking like a mess. “I always knew you were a thorn in my side, Kokichi, but now your little boyfriend here has screwed up my plans for Port Morsey!”

“Shuichi has a way of turning someone’s world upside down, doesn’t he,” Kokichi grinned, disarming Mukuro’s sword. He stepped forward, punching her in the face and sending her down into a pile of hay. 

Shuichi advanced on Junko, swords clashing faster than when he trained with Maki. Glancing behind him, he saw Kokichi throw Mukuro’s abandoned sword in the air. Shuichi jumped up, catching it mid flight. Landing, he crossed the swords to cushion Junko’s. Pushing with all his might, he sent Junko flying down after Mukuro. 

Both men were panting heavily. Kokichi stepped forward to look beyond the roof, when his foot slipped. Shuichi grabbed onto the Captain’s hand, catching him before he could slide down the roof any further. The two stared at each other, before Shuichi pulled Kokichi back, their chests pressing together. 

“You saved me,” Kokichi whispered, his sword hanging lazily in his hand. “You saved me in more ways than you can imagine,”

“I should be thanking you for coming back,” Shuichi mumbled back, his arm tight around Kokichi’s waist now. “I was about to join your ship in the afterlife,” 

Kokichi got unusually quiet, his eyes darting all around Shuichi’s face. “D-Did you mean everything? What you said-”

Shuichi couldn’t take it anymore, his heart acting faster than his mind. In one swift movement, he dipped the shorter man down and kissed him. It was like he was back in the waters of Île du Souffle de la Mort, and Kokichi was his only source of air. His lips tasted like salt water and the grape juice he carried in a flask, and when the Captain kissed back, every nerve in Shuichi’s body felt like it was on fire. Arms wrapped around Shuichi’s neck, weaving into his hair. To Shuichi, Kokichi was more addictive than sailing in the open sea. 

“I meant every single word of it,” Shuichi mumbled against his lips when they finally broke apart. “I love you, Captain Kokichi,” 

Before Kokichi could reply, a thud was heard behind. They two turned, still embraced, to see Junko on the ground, blood pooling around her. Standing above with a still bloody sword, was Kaede. 

“Kaede…” Shuichi said, his eyes looking between Junko’s body and the Commodore. 

“I’m sorry…” Kaede cried, tears in her eyes. “You were right, you’ve always been right. Your friend Tenko… She was fighting me so hard. And then your witch friend got hurt and Tenko abandoned everything to aid her and… even though I loved you I never cared for anyone that much,” Kaede kneeled on the roof, crying. “I am the reason this all happened… Shuichi I am so sorry,”

“Go, help her,” Kokichi mumbled, letting go off Shuichi’s neck. 

Shuichi nodded, walking slowly over to the fallen girl and kneeling next to her. “But in the end, you did the right thing,” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “You saved me from Junko, and the world from her reign of terror,”

“She wouldn’t have begun her reign if I didn’t agree to let her help find you,” Kaede cried, her mascara running down her face. “Everything that’s happened here, it’s all my fault,” 

“Junko would’ve gone and done this to some other island,” Shuichi assured her, speaking softly. “You stopped her here. And now you can rebuild the damage here,”

Kaede looked up at him through tear stained eyes. “W-Wait, what?”

“When all this is over, I’m not sticking around to be the new Governor. And my Uncle can’t since he’s kinda dead…”

“He’s dead?”

“That’s beside the point, but listen. I’m going with Kokichi and the crew, I’m going to live my dream with the people I love,” He gave her a smile, looking her in the eyes. “Commodore Kaede, I am officially appointing you the new Governor of Port Morsey,” 

Keade stammered, not quite believing what she was hearing. “Shuichi…”

“The people wouldn’t listen to me anyways, not after everything that’s happened here, hell, they rarely saw me when I did live here,” Shuichi stood up, extending his hand to Kaede. “Do you accept?”

Kaede gave a big grin, before eagerly shaking Shuichi’s hand. To Shuichi, he felt the last string tying him to the island snapped. To Kaede, this felt like closure. 

“Y-You really think she’ll be a good leader?” Junko’s voice came from below them, her head barely raised. It was obvious that she had lost a lot of blood, but was still alive. “I-I w-will be the r-ruler of this island,”

“Oh, good, you’re still alive,” Kokichi walked over, squatting down next to Junko’s body. “I was really hoping to get to decide your fate, because it looks like my crew beat your crew’s ass,”

Shuichi looked out to the almost barren town area. The army of the dead seemed to be done with their job, as Tenko was latched on to a tired looking Himiko. Maki had Tsumugi in a headlock as Kaito tied her arms and legs. Below them, Mukuro writhed in pain next to a knocked out Korkiyo, Keebo looming over them. Gonta had Celestia in some rope as well, slung over his shoulder as he talked to Ryoma. 

“Shuichi! Captain!” Miu appeared, running on the cobblestone below. “Nagito and Hajime have the rest of Junko’s crew, and are heading this way with them and Rantaro. Oh, and some prisoners got out,”

“Guess my term as Governor begins now,” Kaede laughed, looking between Shuichi and Kokichi. “I hope the two of you are happy and live long, prosperous lives. I’ll make sure you’re welcome in our ports,”

“Thank you, Kaede,” Shuichi smiled, shaking her hand. “I wish you all the best as well,” 

Kaede nodded, before heading down from the rooftop. She began barking orders at the soldiers on the ground, and ordering civilians to head to the church. 

“Miu, tie up Junko and put her with her crew,” Kokichi yelled down to the pirate, before kicking Junko off the roof and into the hay next to Mukuro. “Ah, that felt good,” 

“You’ve been waiting a long time to do that, huh,” Shuichi laughed, walking back over to Kokichi. 

“Yeah, but it wasn’t AS satisfying as I thought,” Kokichi shrugged, looking up at Shuichi with a mischievous grin. “But you know what’s super satisfying?”

“What?”

Kokichi stood on his tip toes, wrapping his arms around Shuichi’s neck once again and pressing their lips together. The intoxicating feeling washed over Shuichi again as they kissed, and he knew he should’ve done this a lot sooner. Shuichi cupped Kokichi’s face, deepening the kiss. 

“Oi! Stop sucking face!” Kaito yelled from the street below, standing next to a grinning Maki. “We wanna give our crewmate a hug!”

The two on the roof broke apart, smiling down at the crew. Shuichi climbed down the rooftop, before running towards the waiting crew member. Maki rushed forward, meeting him halfway for a tight hug. 

“I was so… I was so worried,” Maki mumbled into Shuichi’s shoulder. “I missed you so much,” 

“I thought you had died,” Shuichi whispered back, before letting go. “You don’t know how happy I am to see you right now,” 

“Shuichi,” Kaito stepped forward, pulling him in a tight hug. “I knew as soon as the Captain saw you he’d go back to normal,”

“Thanks for looking after Maki for me,” Shuichi laughed, patting Kaito on the back. “Hope she didn’t cause you too much trouble,”

“You are one sly bastard for getting some before me,” Miu chortled, slamming her hand against Shuichi’s back. “Missed ya, canon wench,”

“We did miss you,” Keebo smiled, placing a comforting hand on Shuichi’s shoulder. “It just wasn’t the same without you,”

“Gonta made new bug friends. He wants to show Shuichi,” Gonta lifted Shuichi up into a extremely tight hug. 

“Thanks for coming back for me, you three,” Shuichi breathed out once he was freed from Gonta’s tight grip. 

“Even for a degenerate male,” Tenko stepped forward, Himiko riding on her back. “I’ll admit, it’s better when you’re around,” 

“She’s right,” Ryoma nodded, lighting a cigarette. “Glad you’re safe, kid,”

“Can I bottle that true love now?” Himiko asked from Tenko’s shoulder. “After you rest, of course,” 

Shuichi grinned, looking at the crew. He hadn’t expected to find his family in a group of mysterious pirates he heard about in stories, yet here he was. Part of the crew of The Dice and in love with their captain. 

“Shuichi!” He turned, seeing Rantaro running towards him grinning from ear to ear. “You’re ok!”

“Rantaro,” Shuichi embraced the man. “Thank you for helping everyone save me. I appreciate it,”

“It wasn’t just me,” Rantaro let go, jabbing a finger behind him. “They played a key role too,”

Nagito, Hajime, and their crew came into the town center, dragging Toko and Sayaka along with them. Hajime stepped forward, extending a hand to Shuichi. 

“Glad to properly meet you. I’m-”

“I know who you all are,” Shuichi grinned, fanboying as he looked the crew up and down. “It’s an honor to meet you all in person as well. The wanted poster don’t do you all justice,” 

“I’m happy you’re alive too, Shuichi,” Cosette appeared, her hand clasped in her daughters. “I’m also sorry for betraying you to Junko,”

“I get it, Cosette, no need to worry,” Shuichi assured her, before turning back to the entire group. “Everyone, thank you for coming to my aid. I appreciate more than you could ever know,”

“Now that we’ve said our ‘thank yous’, the formalities,” Kokichi stepped next to Shuichi, linking their hands together tightly. “My crew will take Junko and her goonies to their punishment. Hajime and Nagito, you agreed to take Cosette back to Tortuga?”

“Yes, we’ll take her back,” Nagito nodded, placing a hand on Cosette’s shoulders. “And we don’t mind staying to clean up the mess we made earlier,”

“Thank you,” Cosette placed a hand over his, smiling softly. 

“OH!” Tenko yelled, raising her hand in the air. “We’ve got a new member of our crew! Himiko wants to stay with us as our official witch!”

“The more the merrier,” Kokichi nodded to the shorter witch. He then looked up at Shuichi. “And you?”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Shuichi grinned, squeezing his hand tightly. “Neither is Maki, if I’m not mistaken,”

“Yeah, I guess I’ll stick around,” Maki shrugged, her small smile still present on her face. “The real question is, what is Rantaro going to do?”

Rantaro pointed to himself, all eyes focused on him. “Um… I’m not sure. I haven’t thought about that,”

“Well, you can do whatever you want now,” Shuichi said, tilting his head to the side. “I made Kaede governor, so technically your service to my uncle is over,”

“Well, then I guess if it’s ok with you,” He turned to look at Nagito and Hajime. “Would it be ok if I joined your crew?”

Nagito and Hajime looked taken aback, before giving each other a look. “Yeah, sure. We’d love to have you on our crew,”

“Now that it’s all settled, I guess we’ll go our separate ways,” Kokichi sighed, turning to his crew. “Round up our prisoners and head back to the Harmony Killer. I want two people watching them at all times,”

Shuichi looked at Maki, the two having a mental conversation. “Would you give me and Maki a second?” He whispered to Kokichi. 

“Yeah, sure,” the Captain nodded, letting out Shuichi's hand. “But don’t go dying on me now,” 

Shuichi nodded, and everyone dispersed. The Jabberwock headed to the docks to their ship, while The Dice crew rounded up Junko and her followers. Maki stood next to Shuichi, looking up at the mansion looming on the hill. 

“My Uncle died,” Shuichi broke the silence, his voice weak. “The last thing he told me to do was survive,” 

“You did survive,” Maki replied, her hands on her hips. “Against all odds, we did the impossible and got back to you,” 

“Yeah but, I didn’t survive,” Shuichi looked to the sea, reaching his hand out. “I think that surviving is something you did, not do. This is just the start of my new story. Once it’s over, then I can say I survived,” 

Maki nodded, looking out to the sea as well. “Well, I’m glad I get to go on this adventure with you,” 

Shuichi nodded, feeling the rays of the sun on his hand. In the distance, he saw Kokichi standing between the buildings, waving at him with the sea to his back. At that moment, all Shuichi could do was smile. He had found his purpose in life. 

Port Morsey was a small island owned by the crown in the Caribbean. A prosperous island, the western side was fertile land for harvesting, and the eastern side held the port, which was a center of trade for the British in the area. The island was governed by Governor Kaede, a smart, brave woman who led her people with kindness. Shuichi Saihara sailed away from the island with his ex-bodyguard best friend Maki, and the rest of the crew of The Dice. A convict, a giant, a neo-aikido master, a witch, a ship builder, a look out, and a navigator. Next to him, one hand on the wheel and the other hand in Shuichi’s was Captain Kokichi, the love of his life. Pirates used to fascinate Shuichi, but now he was one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With that, our story is at a close. I can't believe that this started with a fever dream, and I decided to write this little fic. I hope everyone enjoyed it, and I can't wait to see you in my next work. Thank you for sticking around with me, through computer troubles and writers block. I appreciate it more than you will ever know. Your support had meant everything to me. 
> 
> Thank you!!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first time writing for this fandom, so I hope you enjoy the book. When I write that this came to me in a fever dream, I mean it came to me in a fever dream. Cold sweats and all. Hope you enjoy!


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